Tag Archives: freund

Oh if Noise was only that SIMPLE!

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I feel a lesson in communication coming on so my teacher tendencies must be kicking in so here we go:

Noise is anything that disrupts communication and is not always audible (oh if noise was only that simple). In fact, if noise was only able to be heard then deaf people would be perfect communicators as nothing would inhibit their communication. However, noise comes in three forms: physical, physiological and psychological.

Physical noise occurs outside of our body. For example, I am listening to music on headphones as I type this so if somebody in this coffee shop was to come up and try to talk with me then the music would be noise. However that is not the only physical noise that would inhibit conversation with a person who wanted to talk with me right now. I am connected to Facebook and a notification from there could distract me from communicating and do so without making a sound.

The second kind of noise is physiological and is inside our body. If I am hungry, tired, sleepy, dopey or Doc, then that’s physiological noise (OK, not Doc as that’s a bit of Seven Dwarfs humor). My hair keeps falling in my eyes and that distraction can hinder my ability to communicate.

The last type of noise is of the mind and is called psychological. If I am busy thinking about something else and that’s affecting my ability to focus on what’s being communicated to me, then I am experiencing psychological noise.

One more thought about noise before we move on: noise is both situational and individualistic. In other words, what disrupts communication differs with time, place, person, topic and other factors. For example, I do not communicate well when I am tired so I am careful to not have a lot of conversations when I am in that state. I do not articulate nor do I listen well.

OK now we are heading to the big finish of this blog post…Since I believe that the most useless knowledge is that which is left in the classroom or on the blog post, let me share some practical advice to do with your newfound noise knowledge.

Awareness is key to making change so I challenge you to get in tune with what kind of noise affects you when, where, how and why. As you get a handle on these factors, you can begin to look for ways to reduce the noise in your life. Post comments or e-mail me at jane@janefreund.com and I’ll do another blog entry with specific noise reduction strategies.

Jane Freund is an author, publisher and speaker based in Boise, Idaho. She is the owner of Freundship Press LLC and has written several print and electronic books. Her latest book “Eggshells and Elephants – My Cancer Journey Thus Far” chronicles her recent successful battle defeating thyroid cancer and is available at www.etsy.com/freundship. Jane can be reached at jane@janefreund.com.

BLAHg, BLAHg, BLAHg!

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I confess that as much as I enjoy communication, social media and other forms of sharing with one another, I have never really been hooked by the whole “blogging” thing. Carol and Echo, two social media experts for whom I have great respect, have been encouraging me to blog regularly and I just haven’t done it! I would sputter start and write some entries (usually for a day or two) and then stop again.

Well being analytical and committed to self-growth, I decided to try to figure out why I was not committed to blogging. I came up with two reasons. First of all, I consider a good chunk of the blogging I have read to be BLAHg, BLAHg, BLAHg; in other words, information that doesn’t seem to have much purpose. I believe that the most useless knowledge is that which stays in the classroom. That is, I want to be able to practically apply what I read on a blog. So, a blog post has to have a takeaway.

The other reason I have not been committed to blogging is the idea of focusing one one topic. I am an author and publisher by profession and passion but I have so many other interests! Thanks to my parents, I believe that community service is a duty and not an option. I am a sports nut from childhood and a trivia buff as well. For example, did you know that Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, and Honus Wagner are the five original members of the Baseball Hall of Fame? I have a bunch of pieces of such fascinating information crammed into my head. Laugh if you will, but I know how to get a conversation going using trivia (although at some times, I can bring some conversations to a grinding halt)!

I am fascinated by communication and people and learn so much by watching and listening. Did you know that silence is the most powerful form of nonverbal communication? Also, my personal relationship with Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior is CENTRAL to my life! I take in as much history as possible with a particular interest in the Depression and the Holocaust which my Mom and Dad survived respectively. I love learning and vow NOT to be one of those people who gives up on life long before I die. I want to be like Grandma Moses who took up painting when she was 70 or my Aunt Marilyn Hansen, an Idaho artist who is still going strong at 80 (not to mention my Uncle Orval and Aunt June Hansen who are active at 86).

Then, I realized that I don’t have to focus this blog on one topic but can share on a wide variety of subjects and ideas. The key is to make sure I leave with something readers can take away from each posting. So, hang on for the ride as this is NOT going to be your ordinary blog but rather one that will take us on all sorts of adventures. You may be surprised what you learn (including about yourself) so stay tuned…

Thank you, Helen Keller

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Yesterday morning when I went to get out of bed, I noticed something was wrong with Moose, my almost 13 year old Shih-tzu. He had not been quite himself the last couple of days but something else was going on. His nearly 12 year old brother Mickey was his usual bundle of morning energy but Moose did not have his usual get-up-and-go. In fact, I woke up and Moose was on the floor by the side of the bed. Sometimes Moose will sit there if her cannot figure out where Mickey is on the bed and doesn’t want to risk jumping onto him. Moose lost an eye to an infection several years ago and thus can have vision problems. But Mickey was on the other side of the bed so a potentially ill-fated jump was not what was going on with Moose.

I got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom. Then, I called for Mickey and Moose to go outside. Mickey was ready to go but Moose didn’t move. I kept calling him as I went back into my bedroom and he did not move toward me. As I watched Moose more closely, I realized that he was not moving my head toward my voice but rather all around as if trying to figure out where that sound was coming from. Then, I picked Moose up and brought him into the living room. As I fed the cats, I watched as Moose began running into various objects around the room. Then I realized what was happening: Moose couldn’t see!

This revelation was not totally surprising as my vet had said several months before that Moose was losing vision in his eye. Little did I know that we would reach the point we did yesterday. I called the vets’ office to find out what I needed to do and schedule a time to get Moose in to be seen (with Mickey along as they are the epitomy of canine condependence).

I realized that I needed to learn more about what to do to assist a dog who has lost his/her sight. I called my friend Rebecca who has a blind dog and she made good suggestions such as not leaving items such as a stray briefcase. On Facebook, I asked for suggestions as how to deal with Moose’s new normal and received good feedback.

Then, I went about observing Moose and seeing if I could identify any patterns in his behavior. I would get down on the floor and tell him to follow my voice which he seemed to understand. I realized that he was likely hungry and thirsty so I directed him to the water bowl to get a drink. The problem was he did not know that is where he stood.

So this is where I say “Thank you, Helen Keller”! Since I was in elementary school, I have been fascinated by Helen Keller and how this girl who was deaf, blind and mute learned to communicated. I read books about her and watched both versions of “The Miracle Worker” a number of times. Touch, taste and smell were Mrs. Keller’s primary ways of learning about the world around her.

As I stood with Moose at the water bowl, I subconciously remembered what I had learned about Helen Keller. leaned over and put some of the water from the bowl to Moose’s lips. He instantly figured out where he was standing and began lapping up water. Once he finished, then I was able to get him to his food which he began eating as well.

As the day progressed, Moose was running into fewer walls, items and the like. He can’t manage the jump up the bed but has figured out the couch and can get up and down from there without my lifting him. As I typed those words, he jumped off the couch and repositioned himself on the floor without much difficulty.

I expect that I will be learning a lot about helping a vision-impaired dog through this journey (may even write a book about it). Like every challenge I have faced, there will be peaks and valleys but I know one thing for sure: I will learn a great deal through the journey and be able to help others along as well (OK, that’s two things)!

Speaking of Helen Keller, here’s a terrific video which includes her talking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ch_H8pt9M8

Jane Freund is an author, publisher and speaker who owns and operates Freundship Press, LLC. Her latest book, “Eggshells and Elephants — My Cancer Journey Thus Far” is available at amazon.com.

Mickey is kind of tricky!

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Somebody forgot to tell my 11-year-old Shih-tzu, Mickey, that he’s about 80 by human standards because when he decides to take off running, he’s like a bullet out of a gun! This morning, his dash seemed even a bit faster (perhaps because I was in my robe and bare feet; he rarely picks a time to take off when I’m in my tennis shoes and workout clothes!)

I have developed a habit of jumping into my car to chase Mickey down because I get better results. He’s more likely to jump into my car as he thinks we’ll be going somewhere and he’s correct except that it’s back home. As I was pretty ticked off, some time in the car would be good to cool off.

However, I didn’t have to drive too far and actually found my neighbor and her granddaughter holding Mickey by his leash. I don’t know most of my neighbors and those I do, the reason is usually related to dogs or cats. Today was such a day.

But then again, the reason was a bit different. As I chatted with my neighbor, I found out that her little granddaughter was just four years old and had had cleft palate surgery. The little girl is staying with her because her Mom had twins recently and is recovering from an infection and is in the hospital.

Suddenly, that ticked off feeling left me and I realized a different purpose in Mickey’s tricky behavior. I reached into the backseat of my car and pulled out a copy of “Mooser on the Loose”, a children’s book I wrote about Mickey and his brother, Moose, who only has one-eye. I handed it to my very appreciative neighbor and her very quiet granddaughter. I asked my neighbor her daughter’s name and told her I would pray for her.

God has a way of bringing blessings into situations that seem to have a totally different feel to them. Like Mickey, God’s kind of tricky that way.