Auditory Deprivations and Delights

I love my tub!  It was installed as a surprise for me while I was out of town for a few days several years ago, and is a Jacuzzi.  I love to take bubble baths, and one of the greatest richnesses I enjoy is keeping a variety of scented bubble bath on hand.  A few drops go a long way with the jets on!!  My daily bath is one of my favorite luxuries, and as I consider this, I am suddenly reminded of the novel I am reading, wherein one of the central characters has autism and sometimes needs a sensory break.  I think one of the reasons I love my bath is that it acts as something of a sensory break for me.  

When I am in the tub with the jets running just enough to keep me in bubbles but not so much as to bury me in them, those jets are one of the few things I can hear.  Rarely does a sound from outside the bathroom walls infiltrate my spa-like  relaxation chamber.  Among the things I do hear are:

*the water gurgling as I shift positions or turn the pages of a book
*the occasional splash of a shampoo bottle or razor dropping into the water after I've bumped it, and
*the meow of a cat who may have gone unseen until my immersion in the water has rendered me unwilling to rise and splosh my way across the floor to release it from its temporary captivity.

 I think my time in the tub is the most peaceful time I spend when I'm at home.  That said, I must confess that, as much as I love the peaceful nature of my homemade spa, equal adoration must be confessed for the sounds of a happily chaotic home:

* Levi's music/video games being played at incredible decibel levels as he relishes the joy of having amazing speakers attached to his computer
* Austin's loudly playing music videos, Pokemon songs, etc, mostly found on YouTube, and the accompanying singalong sounds emitting from Aussie's exultant throat
* The sound of two tvs, one in the family room and one in Justin's room, as Justin sits in the hallway where he can see both tv sets and watch two shows simultaneously, a joy he has recently felt quite proud to discover
*Loud teenage and young adult voices carrying through the house from various rooms when Levi's friends congregate here
*Justin and Austin's surprisingly deep voices laughing at hilarious scenes from the likes of Tom & Jerry or Donald Duck on YouTube videos
*Austin's none-too-gentle footfalls as he dances and runs around the main level of the house

My favorite sound is happy noise, which is a good thing, because there is plenty of it at my house.  With a whirlpool tub and its gentle, soothing sounds to contrast the daily chaos, I find that I feel very blessed.