In My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle sings the great line “words, words, words, I’m so sick of words, I get words all day through, first from him now from you.” A close friend, home now for five months with very verbal children, went for an MRI yesterday. When the technician asked her what music she wanted she replied, “None.” The aide was confused, “Do you mean spa music?” “No,” she responded, “I want thirty minutes of total silence!” It has come to this for some people, an MRI chamber is preferable to another conversation!
Even the virtual conversations can be exhausting. I finally read that is because we are having to get all our cues about the other person just from their face. Usually we can watch body language and understand intent more clearly. Then there is the challenge of words exchanged in person behind those ever present surgical masks. The barrier requires a level of enunciation foreign to most of us. Combine that with any degree of hearing loss(true for a majority of people our age)and conversations are having to be constantly repeated. “What did you say?”
Add in each person’s way of understanding Zoom and cell phones in the house. It appears that each medium suggests that a voice needs to be raised in direct proportion to how far away in actual miles the listener is from the speaker. Clearly someone Zooming from across the ocean must need me to speak louder than usual for her to hear me! Or so it seems around here.
Silence is more than golden many times. In fact it may soon, like those fancy credit cards, be worth platinum.
I have never done Zoom or Face Time, but masks are starting to become a challenge in the supermarket. Reluctant to raise my voice, in case I appear surly, I have to repeat myself constantly at the checkout.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I also get tired of my glasses steaming up from my own “hot air.”
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I feel for your friend. Today is the first day I’ve had of silence in Auckland’s Lockdown 2.0, and it’s BLISS.
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Are the schools open?
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Nope, not here in Auckland.
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Well more time with your kids!
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I’m saying nothing!
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LOL
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although we have a new or it is renewed lockdown in Auckland region (NZ) there are lesser noises other than “apparently it’s essential that can be builders or in this case demolition crews” – and the guy in the front house, finally learnt in our first L/4 lockdown where the “stop shouting at the zoom window was” – I finally realised he was teaching the guitar – it’s a lot of UPs and Downs phrases. So this time it’s far quieter over there. Collapsing a house to the bare ground isn’t quiet…
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Nice to know that around the world people are trying to Zoom with limited success.
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On the one hand, I’m thankful for the technology that allows to stay connected during these strange landemic times. But it is also rather exhausting, and I too like the sound of silence.
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‘strange pandemic times’ but I’m guessing you knew that. That’s what happens when I reply on my phone! 😄
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You would not believe the crazy text messages Siri sends when my daughter talks into the phone.
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Ah, words of wisdom! I am loving the blessed silence after every Zoom, and after desperately trying to understand all the subtle words that are being said through a mask. I am becoming exhausted at reading eyes instead of lips. I’m resorting to nodding and smiling instead of trying to have a conversation. Thank you for a terrific post, Elizabeth.
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You are very welcome. I am pleasantly surprised that even isolation provides plenty of post topics.
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😀
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So true!
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MRI is like kettle drums. I hope you enjoyed your moment of “silence”
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I guess she found it quieter than her kids! Of course one of them plays the drums.
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Ah. That explains it.
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All I can say, Elizabeth, is “yes, I hear you.” My house feels like a railway station and I feel I never get a minutes peace. Work colleagues are always wanting something and then there is family, who are all looking for entertainment in this weird time. All I want is enough time to finish my editing.
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I hear the MRI machine is an option!
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Sometimes actions are more meaningful than words.
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Yes, it takes quite a few cues for our poor ol’ brains to process communication.
When many of those cues are missing it really is difficult.
Blessings,
Jennifer
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Truly. I just finished an indoor masked visit with my granddaughter. I missed her very expressive lower face.
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Even for those of us who love words, the amounts of reading and “talking heads” coming at us nearly constantly….it can be a bit much! My “Geometric Patterns” coloring book and deluxe packet of colored markers is an enjoyable reprieve from it all! 😍
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Sounds like just what I need about now.
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I had to laugh at the part about talking louder. I’m always doing that, especially when there’s any kind of bad connection, and realizing midway into my conversations with people that I’m shouting at them. It’s like my brain is telling me that if I have trouble hearing people, talking louder will help. Oops.
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We are definitely not wired for this kind of connection.
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