I have two portable air conditioning units in my house, each attached somewhat to a sliding glass door. One in the living room and one in the bedroom. It used to be that for a week in July, one would wish for air conditioning or a cool basement, but now, wishing for air conditioning begins in April and lasts through a good part of September because climate change is a thing. Unfortunately, it’s rather complicated to simply “add” it to my existing house and also fairly expensive. So it’s now future me’s problem.

Initially, I didn’t mind the background noise. But as summer went on, I began to find it irritating because the rhythm of it interrupted things and drowned out the noise I wanted, like audiobooks, podcasts, and mindless streaming reality shows, requiring the volume to be up so loud people down the block could hear it clear enough to know which yachtie had done what stupid thing this time or what true crime was being analyzed by people who may or may not know anything but tell a great story.

What’s difficult about the background noise isn’t that it’s there, necessarily. It’s that it’s constant. And loud. And it needs to be on and working all the time in order to keep the house cool. On the odd day that it’s cool enough to shut them off, the quiet is deafening, but oh, so welcome.

When I went through my daily shutdown ritual tonight (that I haven’t done in weeks, if I’m honest…) the message above is what Sunsama gave me. It’s creepy sometimes, how unrelated programs and devices know what’s going on in one’s world…

It’s timely, though. So much of the work we do from day to day is drowned out by the background noise of the world around us demanding that we pay attention, we struggle to notice the important bits.

Kids being kind to one another, compliments and kind words that they’ll hold on to for the times they need to hear them again.

The undercurrent of happy kids chattering at lunchtime or in class about the wonderings they have.

The trembling in the voice of a momma worried about their little one, unsure of what to do next.

The unspoken message in a hug from a used-to-be-little that lasts just a bit longer this time.

The reminder from a mentor or friend that your values matter and you’re not nuts for all the feels.

The snippets from a meeting that stick like cat hair on …everything.

Sunrise and sunset.

The rhythmic breath of furs without jobs as they cuddle against you at night, each in their claimed spot.

“Yes, and…”

Tears slipping from tired eyes.

“More, please.”

“I love you…” whether it comes in those three words or “Don’t forget your umbrella.”

Background noise…which some days is louder than others, so you have to listen more closely for the important bits. It’s the important bits in the silence that give us the strength to get up and try again tomorrow.