"Just whistle while you work
Put on that grin and start right in
To whistle loud and long."
Do you whistle?
No, not that shrill "come hither" noise that dogs respond to, but a melodious tune that enlivens your spirit as it passes through your lips.
Whistling can clear a cloudy disposition; it can lighten a heavy load; it can lend a hand with tedious tasks; and it makes folks smile. So why not whistle?
There was a time, before Walkman and cell phones, when people whistled more than they do now. They whistled while they worked. They whistled in the dark (to keep their fears at bay). They whistled on the street. Some whistlers were so talented, they could give extended performances. Some could fashion operatic trills and tremolos; others mimicked bird songs.
There are still folks, certainly, who are masters at the art of whistling There's even an international competition to select the world's best whistler, and bird imitators are invited onto television every so often to show off their skills. But the practice isn't as common as it was once.
When I was growing up, I remember whistling songs that I learned in school, or picked up from the radio. I would awake mornings and hear somebody whistling out in my father's shop, or hear my mother whistling a tune to herself in the kitchen. I’d walk to school and meet a man cheerfully whistling. Today, some folks would be astonished and, perhaps, alarmed.
"Why is that man whistling to himself?"
Maybe whistling is just one of those things we grew out of, and away from, like butter churns and rotary dials and family picnics. Maybe we're afraid someone will hear and make fun, or demand a royalty from us for performing their song in public.
Or maybe whistling is something deeply rooted in the human soul, like a true smile or a belly laugh, which only flowers in the presence of true, unabashed joy in living. And, just as a therapeutic forced smile can sometimes coax a better disposition from sad folks, perhaps a deliberately whistled tune can encourage a return of genuine happiness.
When there's too much to do
Don't let it bother you, forget your troubles,
Try to be just like a cheerful chick-a-dee
And whistle while you work
Come on get smart, tune up and start
to whistle while you work.