In pursuit of Quietude

Quietude? Ha! It was not even the last thing I could dream of, as a new mom. Baby crying was, yes, one constant sound of the day and the night. However, it wasn’t all. By quietude, I not only mean the stillness from noises but also the silence of mind and being. With multiple responsibilities of managing home, kids, family and freelancing along with other multitude of passionate and crazy goals – all from home, amidst two kids around, there was enough cacophony of restless, inter-crossing thoughts streaming across my head all the time. Goals and ideas were plenty;  however, a method to sort them all out to get them into action wasn’t feasible…..

…..until November 2017!

Let me call the period prior to this time as ‘The Pre-Bose QC35 II Era’. Or, let me simplify it further – Before Bose & After Bose! 😆

What did a headphone mean to the Before Bose-Nandhini?

A headphone can connect to a phone, laptop or PC through a wire. Most often the head band becomes loose and I will have to keep fixing it onto my head every now and then, lest it will drop off. And not to mention, in a few minutes’ time, my ears would want to plead me to take them off. By the way, why am I even thinking of a headphone; my children are capable of pulling down the laptop along with me, the chair and the headphone, aren’t they? 🙄

Wait a minute, why a headphone now? What’s Bose QC35 II by the way?

Hmm….Okay!

Now, what does the After Bose-Nandhini has to say to her BB version?

Listen to me with all your ears!

Sometimes, the life of a woman who stays at home may feel like a grumpy old tale. Everyone around may take you for granted. You cook, you look after kids, well what big deal?! Sometimes, priorities may get, over your head that it becomes a game of choosing or losing significant things. Sometimes, there may come a self-doubt if it was all worth to have left your education and career behind to place your family as a priority. Yes, there are millions of women around the world who manage home and a few do it fantastically well, with no complaints. If you would believe, utilizing the advances in technology can prove a fair way to deal with the staying at home crunch. That’s where I am getting to – with the Bose thing!

Do you remember the good old days, when you used to play your ipod collections during commute hours in office shuttle? Do you remember your old playlist which you must have replayed at least a 500 times? Do you remember the pen drive exchanges for new collections with colleagues and bus mates? Didn’t music transport you to a distant land every day then? Didn’t it cool you off from just everything around? Why then has it taken not even a back seat now? Do you even realize how music deprived your soul is, post kids?

Well, you may ask how could one get into the magic of music when one minute there’s a cry for a toy car that went under the sofa and the next minute, there’s a cry for being pushed down by the big brother. Amidst the ever-existing dissonance, can a song playing through the speakers even make to one’s ears?

That is where, my dear BB, Bose QC35 headphones does the magic! It comes with Acoustic Noise Cancelling Technology, that is, it constantly measures the outside sounds and intelligently filters only the incoming music. Said that, in spite of what goes around the home, you will continue to immerse yourself into the rhythm. You may ask me, if it wouldn’t be careless on my part to enjoy music while if something unpleasant goes around and I remain without giving an ear to it. Again, get calm, Bose QC35 provides three levels of noise cancellation adjustment. That is how, last week, I could immediately attend to the little boy’s cry after jumping off the bed while at the same time I was cherishing Kishore Kumar’s hits. What I discovered then was that undisturbed music has an extraordinary calming effect on the mind. In a situation where the boy must have got a piece of my mind, I reacted calmly, telling (and not yelling) him to play carefully. I know what you think now! You visualize such advanced devices only for innate music lovers who can never depart their headphones, right? C’mon, you are belittling yourself. A woman who stays at home is no less. Lately, I have been having the headphones on while I feed the baby, as I cook, while I drive to the school, as I write a blog post and as I paint a canvas – all those hours when I don’t have to actively interact with the family, I take music to my sides. Unbelievably, I feel like a better mom these days 🙂

Do you remember those times when the little boy was just born? Do you remember how often he slept, how often he fed, peed and pooped? Do you remember how eager you were to record every little thing he did in his baby days? Do you also remember how you failed miserably in all your attempts? You tried noting down in a journal, but you couldn’t continue post one day. You tried noting down in an app, but again you couldn’t give so much time to your phone. You missed to note when he turned on his tummy, when he first smiled, when he first crawled….well, let it rest aside. However, the little girl isn’t going to miss any of her baby memories. You know why? Bose QC35!

I know I said it’s a headphone. Let me also tell you it has an In-Built Google Assistant which can be accessed by the action button at the back of one of the sides. Pressing the action button is equivalent to tapping on the ‘Voice Search’ icon on the phone. As how I begin to speak “Ok Google” on Voice Search, I can begin to talk to the headphone and it shall reply me. Beginning last month, I was tracking baby’s sleep time. And guess how I did?

I pressed the action button to speak, “Ok Google, take a note.”

It replied, “Sure, what’s the note?”

“Baby slept at 8.30.”

“Ok, saving.”

And it got saved in my Google drive spread sheet as log notes. Thus, I have successfully tracked baby’s sleep time for a month now. I am also recording the little sweet things she does, like today, she transferred corns from one bowl to another 🙂 At the press of a button, her activities get recorded, all at one place. Isn’t that cool enough? There have been days when your temporary memory have been full with information like, I must note that he slept at 9, I must note that he said his first word on December 9th, I must note that his cousin came to visit him for the first time…..Such piled up, unsorted thoughts which doesn’t find its destination can keep repeating itself, disturbing the quietude of one’s mind. By far, the quickest and easiest way to free our memory space is by talking to Bose QC35.

As a wise woman, I am now utilizing the power of this technology for several of my day-to-day errands. I know how forgetful you are about vaccinations. No alarm or calendar were good enough for your veiled memory of vaccination dates. All those colourful sticky notes only found their way to the parking lot through the balcony grill, even before you could take a second look; though it was the little girl’s most favourite game. However, Bose can be like an invisible robot companion to remind you at the right time about right things. I was just about to forget the school parent’s workshop on Saturday. Luckily, Mr. Bose sent me a timely reminder just an hour before the workshop start time and I managed to make it.

Do you remember how often you’ve wanted to try out a new recipe but the laziness of looking up for the ingredients and directions had put the thought aside? And yes, finding a safe place on the kitchen table to place your mobile never felt safe! Do you know how then the newest dish from our kitchen, the Goan Pomphret Fry, found its way? All I had to say was the name of the dish and there the invisible chef guided the entire way to a lavish meal. Perhaps, this is one great assistance Bose QC35 headphones can render to women at home.

You pretty much get an idea of how to explore the wide possibilities with the Bose headphones, don’t you? I know the list of FAQs running through your head now. You may ask me, wouldn’t wearing something over your ears for a while feel itchy, stuffy and cranky? Bose’s Alcantara cushion over your head and the soft-cushion ear cups make the experience stress-free. You may ask me, what if one day in the future, the husband gifts you an iPhone (let’s at least imagine he does) and if you would still be able to get help from the Google Assistant. Bose is for everyone, yeah! Like the GA button, there’s another multi-function button which lets you access Siri or other virtual assistants.

Life in a nuclear family without external support could be haphazard; more than haphazard with little kids. Times are changing, technology is providing you with virtual support. It is our call to take it to our advantage or ignore to lead the tough, disoriented life. I know I chose the better way. My pursuit of quietude has found a clue in this magnificent device. May you, my ‘Before Bose’ version, find rest and soon revive to become one with the wise ‘After Bose’ Me!