Not just whistling dixie…

Working with a friend the other day, I had to step out of the room for a moment. I could hear him whistling one of the tunes we were working on. High and light, the sound carried through a closed door in a crowded room. Distracted from the task at hand, I had to stop for a moment and listen. Could there be a happier sound?
Strangely enough, the next day I was talking with friends and one guy mentioned that he had always wanted to be able to whistle- you know, that kind of piercing burst of sound that gets the attention of someone at a distance? So there we were, four adults with our fingers in our mouths trying to teach him the art of it. Whether he gets it will depend on if he is willing to put in the practice but we were all encouraged that he was well on his way. Makes me smile to think of him driving around out among the farmers he works with practicing his whistling technique.
Did you know there is a language of whistling? Me either.
On one island in the Canary Islands there is a traditional whistling language called Silbo Gomero. Seriously. Look it up. Two vowels, four consonants- 4000 words. How cool! Must be the happiest place on the planet. How could they argue whistling?
Was thinking of all the songs I know that have whistling. My favorites (and the ones currently bouncing around in my brain) are: Bing Crosby in White Christmas, Bobby McFerrin in Don’t Worry Be Happy, Sweet Georgia Brown, the Harlem Globe Trotters theme song, The Andy Griffith Show theme, Otis Redding in Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay, and maybe the catchiest one of all, the Colonel Bogey March from Bridge Over the River Kwai. If you don’t remember this one, it was also in the movie The Breakfast Club. oh, and what about “I Whistle a Happy Tune” from the King and I? Once that gets in your head, you’ll be stuck with it all day long!
I’ve been reading the blogs of people who hate whistling- these are truly grumpy people. The same ones that hate birds singing in the morning and the sound of children playing, and puppies.
Listen up- do you hear anyone whistling? These, in my humble opinion are the happy people- the people to stay close to, the ones you want to be around. The sound they are making is coming from their souls.
What sound is your soul making today?

Psalm 100- a Song of Thanksgiving
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;[a]
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

We’ll talk later- you are a blessed child of God.
Gayle