| "If you don't like what's happening in your life, change | | | | to cast me in the role of victim. I don't like imagining |
| your mind." | | | | myself that way. So I think, well, what are my options |
| --The Dalai Lama | | | | here, if I don't like what's happening? In this case, I |
| There's a new event in the neighborhood. Every day | | | | came up with: |
| around 3:30 pm, a neighbor with a new drum set | | | | |
| begins practicing -- at full volume. The drummer must | | | | 1. Do nothing and continue to complain. |
| be on his deck or screened porch, because there | | | | 2. Change my thinking so that the event no longer |
| doesn't seem to be any buffer. | | | | bothers me. |
| Sometimes he practices with a background tape | | | | 3. Go over to my neighbor's house and engage the |
| turned up as loudly as I imagine it can be. The | | | | energy; in other words, talk to the drummer and explain |
| combined effect is a bit like Jimi Hendrix on a very bad | | | | the impact of the sound on me and my work. |
| day and is hard to ignore, especially on warm days | | | | 4. Call the police and report a neighborhood |
| when my windows are open. As I sit at my home | | | | disturbance. |
| office computer, trying to compose sage advice, some | | | | I chose Option #2. The catalyst was the idea of |
| days I have to concentrate pretty hard. | | | | "neighborhood." In neighborhoods there is noise. A |
| The music is so loud neighbors three blocks away can | | | | couple of summers ago, my next-door neighbor took |
| hear it. On occasion I hear shouts of "Shut up!!" from | | | | up the saxophone, and I could hear him practicing |
| nearby homeowners. And I've received emails from | | | | scales and simple tunes. The sound wasn't always |
| others (Where is that drumming coming from? How do | | | | beautiful, but there was something nice about it. It |
| you stand it?) | | | | made me feel part of the human family. |
| It's pretty interesting as a phenomenon. I mean does | | | | What was the difference here? Different sound, |
| this person have any regard for the impact his practice | | | | different volume, and different music created a very |
| is having on the rest of the neighborhood? Is he aware | | | | different impact at first. But thinking about |
| and doing it anyway? Couldn't he practice in the | | | | neighborhood helped me change my attitude toward |
| basement? Does he enjoy being heard, like those cars | | | | the event. Suddenly the outdoor drumming fanatic was |
| that go by with the bass so pumped that your own | | | | not an ogre. I felt kind of lucky to live in a neighborhood |
| car vibrates if you happen to be nearby? | | | | where people felt they could express their creative |
| At first I was outraged, amazed, and disconcerted. | | | | energy. |
| How rude! How inconsiderate! Does he think he's the | | | | Now when the drum sounds start rolling through the air, |
| only person on the planet? What if babies are sleeping | | | | I listen for a moment, smile to myself, and resume my |
| or people (like me!) are trying to concentrate? | | | | work. I'm still amazed, but I'm no longer outraged or |
| But as my anxiety and frustration increased, I asked | | | | disconcerted. Funny how it no longer interrupts my |
| myself if there was something I was willing to do to | | | | focus. Funny, and cool. |
| change things instead of just complaining, which tends | | | | |