Take one earbud out on the walk home. The street has been trying to tell you something.

A soundtrack over everything turns the world into background footage. With both ears sealed you miss the bike behind you, the neighbor who said hello, the fact that the block sounds completely different at five than it does at eight. Music is not the problem. Total coverage is, because it edits out everything you did not choose.

Pull an earbud out on the way home a few times this week. Find one sound you have never registered before on a route you have walked a hundred times. It costs nothing and the street gets bigger.