The sound of thin walls

When I moved in my landlord told me that the last few groups of people hadn't stayed long, and he wasn't sure why. During the first few months I tossed around ideas of things that would have made them leave, and pretty soon I was sure I knew why. It had to be the noise.

(This is the sweet spot for maximum outside sound amplification. Yes, where I try to sleep.)

These walls are pretty thin, and the houses are quite close together. In the summer most of us without air conditioning end up leaving our windows open at night. Of course, in the summer it stays light much longer and people hang out on porches and in the street later. On those nights I get hot and crabby, and when I'm crabby I notice all these sounds:

• front doors slamming
• cars bouncing in the potholes
• dogs. lots and lots of dogs.
• people talking and yelling to each other in the street
• sirens
• neighbors getting drunk on the porch and yelling
• my wall-sharing neighbors dropping things

And every little sound seems like an intentional jab into my sleep. I'm certain they know how annoying they're being, and I'm sure it's just to make me mad.

But, when I'm ready to be rational again, I realize that I can learn a lot about my neighborhood by listening. Lately I've been listening with a more gracious attitude (recognizing that I, too, make noise), and this is what I've been hearing:

• my neighbors' wind chimes. They play in the evening breeze, but almost never any other time of day. They're not tinny and shrill, and they sound really cool in the rain.
• parents talking to their children. There's a little boy a few houses down who loves to play outside, no matter the weather. He usually talks his dad into coming out to play.
• the train. When I rode the bus to school every day I was very aware of the train tracks because the bus had to stop at each one. Hearing the train from my house reminds me of trips on the bus and my time in that part of the city.
• my wall-sharing neighbors laughing. It sometimes feels weird to hear bits and pieces of their life unguarded, but it's kind of cool too. I hope they hear laughter from my side too.
• a young band trying to make it big. Somewhere in the neighborhood there are a few musicians who like to jam on the weekends. They're actually quite good, and I don't mind hearing their music echoed around the block.
• the FedEx guy ramming through potholes. Let's be honest, who isn't excited about getting packages?
• my neighbor starting his car to go to work. My neighbor works a night shift, and when I hear his car start up I know it's time for me to go to bed. I've also started praying for him and his family every time I hear him leave. I can't imagine that's an easy life.
• the goodbyes at the end of dates. Ok, so this has only happened once, but it was cute. A really excited and giggly couple ended a first date in front of my house, and it took them at least 20 minutes to say goodbye. It was adorable.

I wonder if I'll hear anything new in the coming months, and if I'll ever get over my annoyance once and for all. 

How do you handle noise in your neighborhood? Do you just accept that you won't sleep full nights for part of the year?