The sound of silence (I WISH!)

I'm either getting older (yes, yes, I know we all age, but I think my inner old man is waking up from his post-Ensure nap) or I'm simply becoming more neurotic, but the truth is, I'm hearing more sounds.

Yeah, could be a good thing, but I'm not spinning it that way. No, not at all. I'm hearing it all! I haven't slept well in the past few days, not because I'm tossing or turning or anything like that. Instead, I'm hearing EVERYTHING in my house, and it wakes me up. Everything from the refrigerator compressor turning on (on the other side of the house), I hear the dog yipping in her sleep, I hear car doors shut, or (the worst) I can hear a clock tick.

I know, it's probably anxiety. But it's seeping into my daily life. It no longer makes me cringe, but now makes me laugh. I hear so many things at work, as I'm sure so many others do as well. Working in a low-wall cubicle, nothing breaks any sound. I can hear the echo from the front desk (where many toddlers love to hear their voice echo . . . loudly), I can hear editors talk in their offices. I can hear "middle aged women" conversations as well as "middle aged men" conversations, "sports" conversations and "hey, what are you doing tonight" conversations.

My favorite thing is one person in particular hums or whistles. The funny part is, he only hums or whistles when he's moving. If he sits, silence. If he stands at the elevator, silence. If he's making his way down the hall, some song comes out. It's like his personal theme music.

I'd be no good in a large city. We stayed in New Orleans a couple of months ago, and the cars and horns about drove me crazy. A habit I picked up from my father is a "noise maker." I have a fan under my bed that I turn on to block out all the little ticks and pops and clicks from everything else. I know, I have issues. But please, don't tell me about them b/c I'll never be able to sleep if you do. I can't sleep as it is, so I guess it wouldn't really matter. Oy vey!