Persistent, all-pervading metaphor
I suffer from Tinnitus – hearing a sound when no sound is present. For me, it’s a perpetual, high-frequency whine that favours my left ear.
Likely caused by over two decades playing in rock bands, it’s something I just live with. It goes without saying it gets louder the quieter my surroundings are.
But – and here’s the funny thing – it goes away when I forget about it. Or maybe it doesn’t, and I just concentrate on other things. It gets worse when my anxiety gets worse, and I can’t remember it being there at points when I’ve been happy. Although it almost definitely was.
I wonder what else this could apply to – what other maladies, mental and physical, fade away when not given the oxygen of attention?
Oddly, there is some comfort in constancy. Some respite in acceptance. A bend in a toe, a kink in an ear. Wear and tear.
I just need to avoid silence.