Listen to the sounds of the child. Embed those sounds, sonically, in their environment. Feel the sounds that you are hearing from him knit themselves with the sounds of the space. Focus on both registers merging into a single sonic background.
Montreal, Nov 12, 2018, 3:25 pm (action for working; when you have to write and cannot be alone)
Action notes: The child that I parent and care for is one of the most hyperactive, constantly moving, fidgeting, and random-noise-making creatures that I know. At his quietest, he makes sounds with his lips, whispers to himself, and hums. On days like today, when I have deadlines and need to work but have him with me, I find it difficult to concentrate, and then I find myself annoyed. I tried accepting rather than fighting my sonic space, training my ear to hear his noise not as an intrusion but as a wash of sounds for which I was not responsible.
Action constraints: The action, in this case, is entirely organized around constraint, but not listening-action constraint: writing constraint. My deadline for a report is looming and I need to focus and get it done. The action half succeeded. I feel less annoyed and ready-to-explode at the poor creature who is just living, here, in this room with me, trying to distract himself as quietly as his body knows how. I am still a little frustrated.