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“There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have.”

Howard Thurman

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Sounds touch things within us. What I mean by that is an external sound rings a certain bell within us. And that little bell within us guides our thoughts, memories and even our inner compass. I imagine I am suggesting that sounds trigger the genuine within. This genuineness can span discomfort to comforting. I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that silence is also a ‘sound’ (just think of the silence that follows the last note of your favorite song).

Anyway. Your genuine self is a tricky thing. It “is” and, yet, it can be elusive in its clarity. And maybe that is where sound comes in. Sound offers a framing for clarity of the genuine within. So let me offer up some sounds:

• “and the dreams you dare to dream … really do come true.” These specific lyrics in “Over the Rainbow” make you ponder your dreams and, well, dreams are a reflection of your genuine ‘you.’ What more could you ask of sound?
• Church bells in the distance. It doesn’t matter if you are religious or not, believe in God or any higher being, church bells play to your soul and make an offering with their sound to what you genuinely feel about faith and life. They make you genuinely reflect.
• The crunch of fall leaves under your feet. It has always confounded me that the sound of dead leaves can make the air crackle with life. Maybe it is that subconscious conflict that creates some genuine feelings about life – past, present and future.
• The little sniff your dog makes as he nuzzles you when he knows, somehow, that something is wrong. The little sound tells you he is there in case you need someone. It is the sound of someone loving you more than they love themselves – maybe even more than Life itself. I tend to think it is the sound of unbounded companionship. I tend to believe it genuinely teaches you more about yourself than anything else.
• The drone of a propeller plane overhead. Have you ever noticed they seem to only be heard on days with blue skies and big puffy white clouds? It makes you genuinely think about where you are and where you could go.
• Horses’ hooves clattering on cobblestone. No matter where you are or what you are doing this sound will place you somewhere back in time. I am not sure there is another sound which sounds like history better than this one.
• Violins. I could probably have chosen any instrument well played, but the sweeping sounds of a group of violins or the single mournful tug in your heart from a solo violin in a Beethoven <place any great composer here> symphony? Well. Close your eyes. You genuinely “feel.”
• “Yes” <also “everything will be alright”>. There are moments when you listen to someone say something and then there are moments. You have shared your thoughts, maybe your dreams, maybe something you have held inside for a very very long time, i.e., something genuine. Nothing beats hearing you are right or all will be okay to create just a bit more solid foundation of whatever is genuine about yourself.
• The sound of rain gently falling on tree leaves. Maybe best in the morning just as you wake up. That light pitter patter on leaves just outside the window. Enough said.
• The soft quick crack of an ice cube placed in an already cold drink. You want something cool to drink. The crack is confirmation that you now have a cold drink. Even cooler. I sometimes believe this kind of ‘clarity sound’ provides an affirmation for a genuine desire.
• The pages of an old book rustling like an old parchment as you turn the pages. Its not just the rough feeling of that thicker paper, it is the sound that the pages make as you flip one over to read the dated type font and the words leap off the page with the sound of the rustling. Reading is never better. I sometimes believe it taps into genuine feelings the written words prompt better than ordinary books.
• The opening notes of your favorite song. You don’t need more than 5 seconds and you know exactly what the song is. More importantly? With the sound, within those 5 finite seconds, you enter an infinite space of memories, feelings, thoughts. This sound expands time. Some would call this sound a genuine miracle.
• James Earl Jones’ voice. From Roots to Lion King to Darth Vader, he could describe your death to you and you would sit enraptured to the final word. I imagine my point here is that a genuine voice taps into the genuine you.
• The inner voice we all have. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like James Earl Jones <which would possibly make it easier to pay attention to and believe>, but you hear it loud and clear on occasion. It is the sound of the ‘genuine’ within you. It is truly the only true guide you have. I wish it would speak more often, but I always try and listen closely for its whisper.

And, of course …

• Let me bundle a bunch here. “I love you” from someone you love, a sincere “thank you,” “I couldn’t have done this without you,” pick a phrase, there are a number of genuinely offered thoughts, in words, that pack such a punch you reflect a bit on what is genuinely important to you.

I’ll end with something I believe, but cannot prove. I believe we all ignore a shitload of what is genuine about us. That ‘genuine’ just makes us feel uncomfortable. It’s the shit that we just feel better ignoring. That is where sounds come in to play. A sound doesn’t allow us to ignore what is genuine within and we have to face it – the good and the bad. Ponder.