Dear LPG, 

I recently read an LPG article about knowing when and where it is OK to talk to yourself (►►►) and it got me thinking somewhat laterally.  

Throughout the day, no matter where we go, there is nearly always someone talking in the background, and even if we can only hear the noise, it is often relatively easy to know what environment we are in by just listening to the sounds we can hear. 

I am not sure I am qualified to talk for everyone, but I think we humans are very social animals, and very few of us will be able to forgo the need to speak to each other or ourselves if no one else is available. When the background is loud, we speak louder, so our vocal chords get a lot of exercise without doing extra work to keep them in good condition. 

I know that even if I find myself at home alone for an afternoon, I will find someone to phone and failing that, I will find some comment to direct to the television. Have you ever found yourself answering the questions on the early evening quiz shows when the contestants hesitate?     

 It is hard to imagine what the world sounded like before the days when the sound of a car ‘brrrrrrrumming’ on its way past your bedroom window was the alarm sound that so many of us wake up to, even if we have not set one on our clock or mobile phone. 

This is life as so many of us know it now, and I would not have it any other way. There is something about the hustle and bustle of life that keeps us grounded and helps when it comes down to being aware of what day it is and what part of our daily routine we are up to. Still, I cannot help but occasionally appreciate the extreme opposite of aural and oral scenarios. I am sure there are many ways of giving your voice a rest, and the one that I like to take advantage of involves getting as far away from everything and as much modern noise as possible for a while now and then.

To do this visually, all you have to do is close your eyes, but even with ear plugs in, normal ears can hear the odd noise, and I think we have an inbuilt need to add to the sounds around us if we can listen to them.  

My answer is to find the middle of my local park and commune with the animals and birds with whom I know I cannot communicate verbally, although I still try. It is as if I expect them to appreciate what I am saying even though I know they don’t understand. 

Do you ever remember being challenged by your parents to see who could be quiet for the longest? When I was young, and my siblings and I were tested this way, I was nearly always the first person to break the silence. Still, the funny looks and expressions that we shared while trying to make eye contact a substitute for conversation would speak volumes and usually provoke the next word spoken very quickly.

Interestingly enough, writing my thoughts on the subject has taken me a while, and I have not uttered a word since I started. 

So, I have concluded that one way to give your vocal chords a rest during your waking hours is to write your thoughts down more often. 

Our spoken words are often forgotten as soon as we have uttered them, while the written ones will be there for optional evaluation later, and some of them are worth reviewing…

BD, Beckenham.

…and LPG adds some information on today’s celebration…

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