My mother always remarked that she was never alone. As a kid, I never understood what she was talking about since I had six siblings and none of us ever expected to be alone. So of course, being our mother, we were constantly badgering her. We were always loud and we were always up in each other’s business. I knew everything about my siblings and none of us ever stopped talking. A few of my friends who were only children and some couldn’t handle the noise that came along with all nine of us being in the room together.
When we knew someone was having a friend over to spend the night we usually split up who could eat when so it wouldn’t get too loud. As we grew up, the noise level did not decrease, it just became more specific – bouncing basketballs, singing lessons, drum sets. There was never a quiet or dull moment in the house.
I never knew what to expect when I spent the night over at a friends house. How loud were they? Would they mind how loud I was? The night that affected me the most was the night I spent doing yoga and meditation at a friends house. I went from being loud to learning how to listen. When I tried to explain how I felt to my family, I couldn’t. I just had to teach them how to be. I quietly led the way to transform my loud and crazy family.
Standing Room Only 