The five methods we as human beings have of perception are: hearing, sight, touch, smell and taste. I’m sure if you think a little on each of these you will have distinctive ones in each category in your life that you will always remember. I was sharing a story today with a friend about one of my sounds so I thought I’d write about it.
While I have many, there are 4 distinct sounds in my life that I will always remember and I can instantly snap back to the places and times and circumstances in which they occurred so I thought I’d share them.
My first was a professional moment. At age 20 I produced a live event for 2,000 people including the Governor of Texas. Moments before the 55-minute multi-media experience began, my client shared the story of all of the technical difficulties we had faced bringing this particular project to life. We had pieces of equipment arriving only hours before the presentation and quite honestly, we had no idea if it was going to work or not. When the client introduced the challenges, they introduced me as the person who had overcome them. Although I wasn’t the one who had, I was in the spotlight and thus that first distinctive sound was that of 2,000 chairs turning on a concrete floor to turn around and see who I was.
The 2nd was when I was on a safari in Africa. I was blessed enough to witness a pride of lions chase and kill a buffalo which to witness first hand is a very rare occurrence. Watching nature take its course, as the lions were taking the buffalo down as it was trying to escape them, the sound of the heavy breaths coming from the buffalo were so distinctive and the experience was so raw and harsh yet natural, it’s one that will always be with me.
The 3rd happened in Italy, in a town named Chieti, and on my first visit to the region and cities that my family originated in. During my stay, while enjoying a beverage in a bar, I happened across a man named Nicoli and when he found out I had come back home to explore my family history, he adopted me. Nicoli spent 2 days showing me around, calling my distant relatives to tell them I was there from America and taking me to find the foods my Grandmother made from the region. As I was leaving, riding on a city bus down from the hilltop to the train station, Nicoli ran alongside the bus like you would see in a movie yelling arrivederci amico mio (goodbye my friend) at me as I left town. I can still see that sunny afternoon and Nicoli running.
The 4th one is a funny one in that it is one that I hear repeated often at the Italian Club Dallas… the clinking of wine glasses and a very friendly “Salute”.
I first heard this sound at my grandparent’s house as my extended Italian family would gather and toast to America and to their life here. I now hear it often as I gather with my friends, both old and new, as we toast life. I can probably describe to you just about every time I’ve heard it and there are many to describe!
This sound isn’t about the wine itself, it’s about the gathering of friends. People who genuinely care for one another who are celebrating and toasting life and the blessings we have of simply being alive to enjoy it and to share it with one another.
While there are many sounds from the Italian Club Dallas that I enjoy which include the music, the conversations in Italian, the laughter we all share and the popping of the corks, it is the clinking of the glasses that to me signify what we are all about.
The Italian culture is much more than just the culture and the music and the food and the wine… it is all about the spirit and the passion for life we share which is celebrated in that moment when our glasses clink.
If you’ve never experienced it or if you’ve forgotten what it sounds like… come visit or join us… I’m sure it will be music to your ears and to your heart!
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