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Hey all. I hope you’re having a wonderful winter so far (or a sumptuous summer, to those of you in the southern hemisphere). Anya and I have settled into our little rental here under the very dark skies of Crestone.
Today, fresh out of bed, I stepped outside to take that wonderful morning piss (warm sun, 7 degree air, my liquid offering to the desert) and I was struck by the crystalline silence. Not a car, airplane, chainsaw, leaf-blower, barking dog, or screaming child to be heard. It was strangely, confusingly amazing to be struck by this overwhelming absence. It’s like noticing, for the thousandth time, the pause between inhalation and exhalation, or how utterly perfect a glass of cool water is when you’re really thirsty. I almost wrote, “how perfect a glass of cool water tastes…” but good water has no taste, and that’s the point. The perfection is composed of the absence of flavor. The missing machine noises, artificial light, fast-food joints, strip malls, power lines … it’s so easy to forget and undervalue what isn’t there.
But our spirit doesn’t forget. It seeks nourishment in the silence, emptiness, peace, and darkness as much as our bodies crave pure water, air free of smoke and dust, and food free of pesticides, and our hearts yearn to give and receive love without condition, hesitation, or hidden agendas.
I’m reminded of one of my favorite poems, “For the Anniversary of My Death,” by W. S. Merwin, written in celebration of his own impending absence:
Every year without knowing it I have passed the day When the last fires will wave to me And the silence will set out Tireless traveler Like the beam of a lightless star Then I will no longer Find myself in life as in a strange garment Surprised at the earth And the love of one woman And the shamelessness of men As today writing after three days of rain Hearing the wren sing and the falling cease And bowing not knowing to what
I hope you are enriched and empowered by the silent, empty spaces in your life, and bowing not knowing to what.
CPR
A few things:
I just upgraded to a Pixel 7, which I love so far. They gave me ten codes for a $100 discount for “friends and family,” so if you or anyone you know is planning to buy a Pixel 6, 7, or 7 Pro, let me know, and I’ll hook you up with a code (while supplies last).
Mom is running a 25% sale on merch on my site: t-shirts, hoodies, and whatnot. Get your stocking stuffed!
I’m thinking of learning to play guitar, starting out with Rick Beato’s beginner’s course. If anyone has a good contact at Fender or Gibson, let me know. I was thinking it might be fun to make my experience an ongoing part of the podcast and/or Substack.
What's Chris Been Up To?
As a former guitar teacher, my method was simple - get them having fun and everything else is secondary. That being said the first days of learning the guitar is the hardest. Your fingers hurt and it takes some practice to get it to sing for you. I hope your joy of guitar increases with each new callus on your fingertips. Thanks for everything Uncle Chris!
p.s. Could I get that discount code for the pixel?
Cheers, Kyle Crew
It's a great coincidence that you write about silence around the time that everyone is sharing their Spotify Wrapped, and basically celebrating the amount of music they listen to. A friend shared that she listened to the equivalent of 4.5 hours of just music a day... not counting podcasts. Of course, music and noise are two very different qualities of sound and experience to have regularly, but I think it there is a similar point (tangential, one could say) here. Like a spectrum from sounds to listen to actively (music), passively (your noisy machines), and silence.
With the general acceptance of listening to music while one works at the office and elsewhere, the ubiquity of podcasts that fill one's commute or morning routine, and the "background" tv movement (people throw on the Office for the fifth time while cooking, just to have something), it seems more rare that people spend significant chunks of their day without some imposed sound they put on purposefully. It's disconnecting even from the "natural" sounds of urban life. You no longer hear the chatter of people passing you in the street. You miss dogs barking. To Mr. Krippner's point, you don't notice kids playing or doing something funny. I found myself guilty of this. Before the pandemic, I did all of the above, and felt that some of my podcasts had effectively replaced the background chatter or traffic noises of daily life. So much so, that I even began to engage with my selected choice of sound less. Some of my music and tv became the noise that I wasn't really paying attention. But your brain needs that space of less stimulation.
When I realized this, I tried backing off. I forced myself to take breaks from music at work. I turned off the radio in my car. The grocery was no longer a place for earbuds. Exercised without it. In a strange way, it was refreshing and I felt able to focus more on what was in front of me, and my surroundings in general. I thought a bit more actively throughout the day during the periods without music. After a while, I'd like to think I paid closer attention to music and podcasts when I did have them on...
The whole spectrum of sound is important. And to tie back to your point, people seem to be moving further from the quieter experiences.
If you're considering playing an instrument at all, do it! Too many good reasons not to. A free guitar basically fell in my lap a few years ago, and it was the best things that could've happened. Wish I had started sooner. I have a friend that says "It feels good to be absolutely shit at something". It's a refreshing experience to start learning something from zero as an adult. Only thing I'd recommend is get a few in your hands before buying one. Go to a music shop, and pick a few up. Different brands, and different shapes. See what's comfortable and what's appealing. Looking forward to hearing about it!