Sounds to Hear

Walking around ASU not only are your eyes observing everything, but your ears are also working hard. In high school, the only things your ears wanted to hear was latest gossip or the two-minute warning bell walking to class. College however is a little different. Many times as I have walked from class to class I have almost run into someone or worse, got run over. Luckily though, my ears were with me all those times. I know, I know, I sound a little crazy, but it’s true, every sound is important when walking around campus. The sound of a bike’s tires being peddled faster and faster is an excellent tip to turn around and see if you need to get out of the way. After a while, you will get so used to hearing bikes that you will easily be able to determine how far away the rider is and even what side of you it is on. Bikes aren’t the only thing to hear for, but also rollerblades, skateboards, cars and feet. Although it can be difficult to hear the wheels of a skateboard on the smooth cement, try to pay attention because you don’t want to collide with the other person. I never realized how handy my ears would be walking around in college. The day I realized that I needed to step out of my own world and listen to what was going on around me was when I was just minding my own business walking to my car and then as I started to cross the street, I almost stepped right into the path of a bike. What stopped me was my sudden halt. It was then I realized my ears could stop this from happening again. Another reason it is important to hear your surroundings is that you don’t have to make a car wait for you but you can notice where they are and walk accordingly. Now, you may be thinking this all seems a little extreme, but I swear just giving your ears more of a job than listening to gossip you will save yourself the humiliation of running into someone and ending up on your butt.