The sound of LA

As a baby the only place I would fall asleep was under the huge birch tree in my parents' backyard. I was born in the middle of winter so my Mom would bundle me up in the stroller. Growing up I loved to fall asleep the the calming sound of the wind playing with the birch branches. Hearing the rain dripping on the roof had a similar effect.

While remembering this soothing sounds of my childhood I'm sitting here listening to the sound of 2 helicopters, the cars driving on 4 lanes of Ventura Blvd just a block away and the air conditioning of the neighboring houses which I tried to ignore by listening to the little fountain on my patio and the twittering of the birds.

What a difference. I should also mention that some people - like my Mom and my husband - think I have ears like a dog. I'm the type of person who can hear that something's wrong with the car brakes weeks before the car is finally taken to the shop for a brake check. I can hear the tap dripping in the other room. I can hear the radio play in the car when the volume is down and others think it's off.

When I first moved here I couldn't believe how often a day I could hear police and fire sirens going. I remember the night when a helicopter was basically flying up and down our street pass our window for hours. Or the night we heard gun shots after people had been circling the block blasting music. Or waking up to the sound of the Mexican workers doing the neighbors' lawn with s.th. that sounded like a jackhammer. I have to say all these sounds were not exactly normal to me and still are not.

I guess I have to get used to the fact that it's never quiet in this city and it's hard to escape it, especially for s.o. with ears like me. Some nights I have to wear ear plugs (which I hate) to be able to fall asleep in spite of the neighbors' TV blasting until 2:30AM. There doesn't seem to be general rules like in Germany for when to keep the noise down (on holidays, Sundays, after 10PM, lunch break etc.). Our one neighbor thinks everybody is interested in listening to his video games and the swearing that goes with it. The rest of the Israeli gang in our complex turns the whole place into a pool party for a whole day by blasting some Hebrew pop songs. Well, most of them moved out now. So right now I'm just listening to the French conversation of the neighbors across.

The place I love here is at the ocean, just listening to the waves and the wind. Watching the birds and dolphins. It's a place where the soul can rest and get away from the business of the city and its noise. Every time we go there I try to breathe it in deeply as if I could take some of it back with me that way.

My hubby tells me after living here for almost 15 years he is used to that. But he also has the gift of just turning around and sleeping like a stone. And honestly I'm not sure if a want to accept this as the status quo. I don't want to loose the appreciation for quietness just because I get so used to noise in the background that quietness gets awkward.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't like any loud sound. I love to get lost in loud music (as long as I don't have a migraine and it's well mixed). I guess what it comes down to in the city is that you can't choose what sounds you hear and when you hear them especially at night. As a sensitive sleeper that's hard to accept.

I've heard others say that they thing the welcoming sounds of LA are helicopters and sirens. What do you think (if you didn't grow up here)?