The Evergreen Journal #30
A Sonic Holiday
Learning to Listen
Tomorrow, August 27, 2022, I will celebrate my seventy-ninth birthday! I will have the privilege of celebrating with my sister and brother and their spouses. We will dine at a lovely restaurant and enjoy the day together. I am so blessed to have them in my life. I really look forward to this special day with them.
I thought about some of my remarkable adventures this summer as a life-long learner. The summer months revealed new gifts and surprises.
I considered some essential landmarks in learning and living that are now behind me.
I remembered the seasons of changes and growth:
_the years of formal academic studies
_teaching in lecture halls and college classrooms
_making paintings and sending them to exhibitions or patrons worldwide
_Presenting research papers at conferences
_Organizing and teaching college students on month-long international travel-study trips
I loved it all.
And the good news is,
It’s not over yet!
Life-long learning and education are more vital than ever.
My platform for learning and sharing wisdom is more extensive than I could ever have imagined.
Every new day brings new discoveries and possibilities.
This summer, unexpected encounters arrived with recollections of life-long influences that were latent inside of me. This happened over some weeks as I read The Mozart Effect by Don Campbell – Read more about this book Here.
I was inspired to take set-apart time for regular listening breaks each day.
Here are my tips for beginning to enjoy your own Sonic Holidays.
First, Set aside the time so you can listen to music or Bible readings. I’m using my collection of Mozart CDs, which I play on my Bose sound system. You may select the music that you like best. Each different kind of music will have other effects on the body and mind. Experiment and see what works best for you.
For the Bible readings, I am using Inspired by The Bible Experience. In this collection of CDs, the entire Bible is narrated by world-famous actors with sound effects and music. My set of CDs are packaged in a handy zippered case. You can buy them in other formats from Amazon Here.
Sonic Holidays are a special treat for me. My focus is only on listening. I am learning to listen as I focus on works of classical music or theatrical readings of the Bible. Listening is a skill we can enhance for various health benefits.
I’ve discovered the difference between hearing and listening.
Music needs our complete attention so that we can have the benefits of healing and creative vision.
After I select the music for my break, I decide if I want to sit or lie down. Soon, there was nothing more on my mind than listening to the music.
I enter into the music as it brings rest, healing, brilliant ideas, and personal conversations with the notes, instruments, phrases, and sounds.
My Sonic Holiday shuts off the internal critic voice. Taking the breaks switches off the demanding, calculating, destructive critical thoughts that come from the left brain.
Another way to experience a Sonic Holiday is to leave work and go outside for a walkabout. This is a conscious decision. It changes the atmosphere and brings refreshment.
Allow your intuition and imagination to decide what to listen to and where to go for your breaks.
I have discovered that Sonic Holidays expand my time. I never have to rush about or feel panic over a time restraint anymore. If I remember to take regular breaks to restore my mind and my brain and get them working together, it expands my time for the entire day.
I’m inviting YOU to take a Sonic Holiday and see what happens in your little place of Heaven – on – Earth, where you live.
I’ll be writing more articles on my discoveries in the weeks ahead. However, reading this book brought up many significant life-long learning experiences I had completely forgotten about.
*
Author’s Note:
*The Mozart Effect: Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind, and Unlock the Creative Spirit
by Don Campbell – Amazon
Inspired by the Bible Experience – Amazon
