Viewpoint: Sh-h-h-h-h-h!

?It happens almost every day.?I will be enthusiastically sharing some wonderful event that has transpired, or some fantastic trivia tidbit, or some news I have heard that rouses my passion, and my wife will gesture to me with her hand going up and down indicating I should talk more quietly.

?My son also makes it known that I am speaking too loudly. He has commented that it feels like I am yelling at him.

?Maybe some of you have called and experienced the same thing. I am loud.?It may be getting gradually worse.?As I have a little more trouble hearing I may be speaking a little louder, assuming that everyone else is going deaf right along with me.

?It’s not just a phenomenon of age, though.?I went to a small rural elementary school.?We had about 20 students in all eight grades.?My class of four was rather large.?I was always the one who got caught talking when I should not have been.?I was pretty sure I was whispering. Apparently, I was talking too loudly even then.

?Not that it has always been a curse.?My partner and I in high school won the first debate trophy Trego Community High School had won since the 1920’s, and many of the comments by the judges indicated how much they appreciated being able to hear every single word I said.

?It was also a positive in drama.?I enjoyed being in plays, and projecting to the far reaches of the auditorium was never a problem.?There are, of course, some roles I achieved notoriety for that required no speaking at all.?A grade school play titled, “Danny the Dark Green Dinosaur”, starred my second oldest brother and I.?He was the front half of the dinosaur and I was the back half.?I dare say if South Downer District 13 hadn’t become a consolidated school, I’m sure there would still be aspirations to outshine my portrayal of a dinosaurs behind.

?When I spent fifteen years buried in a bottle my voice made it possible for me to get everyone’s attention in a bar or at a party.?That wasn’t a positive.?It would take, at the very least, an abacus and probably a calculator to total the number of people I offended, insulted or hurt to the core during those years.?I will regret them to some degree forever, even though on February 1, I celebrated 33 years without a drink.

?In the voice regret column is the times I’ve raised my voice at my children, when loud was not the way to best deal with their tender little hearts.?But, then, I am also sure they heard my sincere apology when I looked at their crushed little spirits.

?My children, as they grew up and competed in sports, never had any problem hearing their dad encourage them and spur them on.?When I coached my kids, and some of your kids, instructions were clear and could be received.?Referees knew whether they were doing a good job or could use a little counseling in some of their calls.

?I coached my son in wrestling and football, and coached my daughter in basketball. They both assured me that, despite the noise of the crowd, despite the number of parents imploring their child to make a play, despite anything, they could always hear their dad.

?When they told me, it seemed to be a good thing.?“Their Dad.” That makes it worth getting shushed now and then.?Don’t you think?