The Sounds of My Life

A cereal commerical on TV really bothers me because it is obviously dubbed. Why do that? My husband agreed that the voices sounded 'fake', but we couldn't figure out why. Finally, I realized: there is no background noise. The couple is walking around a presumably hard-floored kitchen, eating cheerios, and you hear nothing except their voices. Where are the footsteps, the breathing, the outside noise, the clink of spoons against cereal bowls?

Every life has its own unique background noise. Here is a sample of mine:

• click-clacking of hard toys as kids build with/play with/smack each other with them
• someone whining or crying--not a pained or afraid sound, just an annoyed (and annoying) one
• water running. For showers, handwashing, laundry, dishes, filling pots with liquid to boil pasta, etc.
• mumbled prayers. This will surprise people who know me because I tend to be quiet-ish about my religious beliefs, just because so many people I know are loud and pushy about theirs. I talk to God all the time. I mainly say Catholic novenas and Jewish daily prayers.
• electronic whirring, from computer, microwave, VCR/DVD, etc, or conversely, a car engine.
• the pitter-patter of little feet upstairs.

As you would expect from a mommy whose children literally never leave the house without her, my life is never silent. I exist with a constant soundtrack. Just an interesting thought.