The dissonance of current life

On the day of Thanksgiving I walked the dog down toward the little paths that wend their way through tall trees next to a stream. It is behind a University — Fox University. I was hoping for quiet. It was a gloomy gray day, cold but crispy, but I was warm inside my down coat, beret and boots.

I was very surprised to hear several leaf blowers going and I wondered why these people were working on Thanksgiving. Even if they weren’t into this holiday for various reasons, wouldn’t they enjoy a day off? I finally came to the conclusion that with the students gone, they could get some work done.

My question is, why must we put up with noise every minute of every day? There is such a thing as noise pollution and we are living through it. What does it do to one’s nervous system? It can’t be good. I go outside to commune with nature, to listen to the birds and the stream gurgling by.

I’m old. I lived in a world before noisy leaf blowers and cell phones constantly dinging and all the rest of it. I spent time in the woods and in the meadows, studying the critters I discovered. I heard the birdsong. Now the birds are few and far between, the meadows covered with houses, the insects dwindling. It makes me sad.

I look at those who use the leaf blowers knowing that it makes the job easier. And I ask myself would there be so much…