Whistle While You Work

I'm a whistler.

I don't recall when I learned to whistle, but I can remember that I attended overnight Girl Scout camp for 5 years, probably starting in 2nd grade. I know how to whistle the regular old way, by making your lips into an "O" shape, but I also made up this other way to whistle. It's hard to describe, and sounds similar, but basically I don't need to make the "O" shape with my lips. I can be smiling, or frowning, or have a blank look on my face. Oftentimes, I like to whistle this way because no one can tell I'm doing it! I remember being in the pool house at Girl Scout camp whistling like this, and one of the girls looked around and asked "Who's whistling?" I just gave her a blank look & shrugged my shoulders, all the while continuing on with my musical etude.

It would be really obvious and obtrusive of me to SING wherever I go. I constantly use Pandora.com while at work to listen to tunes, or pop in my own CDs. Somestimes I even wish my one mile "commute" to work was longer so I had more time to sing along in the car. I almost always have music on, or a song in my head. So, when I can't sing, I whistle.

People notice whistlers. Almost always if I'm in public, people make a comment on my whistling. Just today I stopped to grab one of those awful, rich pumpkin spice gas station cappucinos. I had just been listening to Susan Tedeschi singing Angel From Montgomery. The woman has PIPES. How can you NOT want to sing along with her...so as I got my sludge, I was whistling along. When I got up to the counter the girl said "You whistling. You must be happy." "Oh, I said...I was just listening to the most amazing woman...she has a set of PIPES." And I told her the song and artist. I don't know if she cared, but TRULY, this woman's music moves me, so I have to talk her up.

I guess it's not strange that people notice whistlers. I notice every little old man who whistles. Maybe you think he's annoying, bothersome, just making noise. I feel an instant bond to this little guy in suspenders with glasses and white fuzzy hair surrounding his balding head whistling his tune. I feel like "Well there's a kindred spirit." And I can understand that when the music gets in you, you just have to get it out sometimes.

My brother is the same way. He is like me when I was a kid...always making weird noises, coming up with rhymes, tapping on every surface like it's a drum...my parents used to call what I made "Garbage Noise." Now they tell him the same thing. He prefers the term "Musical Fusion." One of his favorite movies is School of Rock. My sister just told me yesterday that he wants a Led Zeppelin or AC/DC CD for Christmas. He's 12. I love him.