The House is Buzzing

The house is buzzing. Now before you get all worried, we’re not being attacked by killer bees, nor is this something out of a Stephen King novel. No, the house is buzzing in a good way – with music.

My son has been playing guitar for about five years and is actually very good. He’s up in his room, strumming away on his acoustic. He plays songs by bands that he listens to, he plays songs he’s written himself and sometimes he just plays stuff until he hears something he likes and then it becomes a song, too. It is quite ironic that we used to have to tell him to practice and even hold the threat of discontinuing lessons over his head in order to get him to play. He hasn’t been taking lessons for over a year now and he plays all the time. Go figure.

My daughter is up in her room, playing her electronic keyboard. And yes, she is very good, too, after playing for about three years. She writes a lot of her own songs, both words and music. She’s a little more private than my son and doesn’t like anyone to hear her songs until they’re pretty much complete so a lot of times she plays with headphones on. But today she’s playing free and easy.

There was always a buzz in my house growing up, too, but it was different. The buzz then was because there were a bunch of us in the house, sometimes playing games together or watching TV together and sometimes because we were all doing separate things and competing for space, time and volume. If someone had music on in the living room and others were playing a game in the dining room, both were getting drowned out by the other. So the music was turned up louder, then the people playing the game got louder, then the music was turned up louder, and so on until finally someone blew up or Mom told the person listening to the music to put on headphones. It wasn’t bad, it was just kids learning to get along, learning to compromise.

But this buzz today is wonderful. Somehow two distinct songs being played in two different rooms seem to fit together. Not the whole time, yet it is amazing how they seem to blend into one so much. I feel like I could listen to this all day and not be bored. As I get older, I definitely like things a little quieter than I used to. However, this “noise” as some would say, is good. It is soothing. It is a proud parent listening to my kids using their talents and abilities, and doing something they want and love to do. It sounds good, but I feel even better, sitting on the couch one floor below, with a big grin on my face and a warmth in my heart.