I don't remember when I first read the book, Too Much Noise. It may have been as a child or it may have been in an English Lit class in University, but whenever it was it made a big impact on me and has become one of my favorite books of all time! I actually tracked down a copy before we left Canada so that I could have it in my personal library.
The story goes like this:
"A long time ago, there was an old man.
His name was Peter, and he lived in an old, old, house.
The bed creaked. The floor squeaked.
Outside the wind blew the leaves through the trees.
The leaves fell on the roof. Swish. Swish.
The tea kettle whistled. Hiss. Hiss.
"Too noisy," said Peter."
So Peter goes to visit the wise man of the village who tells him to go and get a cow to live in his house. Peter does, and still all the noise continues, but now there is also a cow mooing. So he goes back to the wise man to ask advice and he tells Peter to get a donkey. So he does and the noise continues, but now there is also a donkey braying. And on it goes until he has a full menagerie of animals living in his house and the noise is unbearable.
Finally Peter goes to visit the wise man one last time and the wise man tells him to get rid of all the animals, which Peter promptly does, only to discover that he now likes the bed's creak, the floor's squeak, the leaves falling on the roof and the tea kettle whistling , and declares,
"Ah. Oh. How quiet my house is. And Peter got into his bed and went to sleep and dreamed a very quiet dream."
Many times in my life I've had this same experience. My life and family seems so busy and noisy, but once I've added more people and more activity, and then those people and that activity are gone, I realize that my own family and it's busyness aren't really that bad after all.... and 'Cheryl got into her bed and went to sleep and dreamed a very quiet dream.'
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