One day, I was listening to a friend talk about how busy he was. There was simply not enough hours in the day to do all that needed to be done, let alone having any time left over to do anything fun. He then went through the litany of resolutions usually given about cutting back. Saying a few more “No’s” and dong a few more things he wanted to do- resolutions made and broken many times before.

 He then concluded his talk by saying, “You know, I don’t whistle anymore. I used to whistle all the time, especially while I worked (a la Snow White’s Dwarfs). But now I just don’t whistle anymore.”

What is this thing we call whistling? That sound we make when we pucker up and push air through the narrow passage formed by our lips? It is something most people can do, some better than others. Why do we do it? For some it is a musical expression, for others it’s a way to get the attention of a room full of people, or simply a means to call the family dog. When do we do it? Sometimes when we are afraid, like walking down a dark alley. For most, it is an accompaniment to doing something enjoyable. Apparently, my friend was no longer enjoying the things that he was doing, or he was doing so much that he could not enjoy life due to his working.

CONSIDER our days. Have we stopped whistling, humming, or having pleasant thoughts while you work? Are we finding life and the living of it enjoyable enough so that we can produce our own musical accompaniment as you go? It’s a matter of ordering our day, isn’t it? We each need to keep a different balance. It is then that we find ourselves whistling again.

“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.” (Psalm 63:3-5)

Rev. Wendell Mettey
April 1992
Revised April 15, 2013

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