“I Can’t Hear You!”

You know the FB videos of toddlers who are deaf and with cochlear implants hear their mother’s voices for the first time? The surprise mixed with joy? Apparently, because Tony was at the appointment, that was my initial reaction when demo hearing aids were placed in my ears, after testing. I know my whole body flinched and my eyes widened with glee. For years, well over a decade, I have had considerable trouble with muffled sound. Oh, the things I thought I heard. I wish I had written them down. Emily Litella reincarnated.

Can you imagine teaching with this disability? No wonder I was exhausted. People with normal hearing don’t know how much energy it takes to try to put language together through contextual clues. Tony told the audiologist, “I just thought she wasn’t listening.” I know it must be frustrating for him. Testing I had done only detected decibels. I would say “I can hear fine but it is muffled,” to no avail. In just the last few years, technology has advanced: Now hearing aids can help with muffled sound. I am beyond excited.

Early hearing loss runs on both sides of my family. I remember annual August trips to Toronto to celebrate my Great-aunt Anne’s birthday. The family gathered at the Park Plaza’s restaurant. We would be screaming conversation along the long table because all of the adults were hard of hearing. My father, who was pretty high strung, would demand we go to quiet restaurants. Well, that meant that no one came and the food sucked! By the end of his long life, he could hardly hear and his hearing aids troubled him: He was constantly fiddling with them and declaring they did not work. I wish the technology had advanced for him, too.

So, next week, I will get my new hearing aids, adjusted just for my weary cochlea. The ‘hairs’ are damaged or gone—just like my poor head of hair. (The stress of the 2020 election cycle caused it—true dat.) I am so thrilled, I want to shout to the skies. (I think it is a crying shame that health insurance does not cover it: What about all of the people who aren’t fortunate enough to have them?) 

I could care less if people see them, although the aids are miniscule. The only visible part is behind each ear. I chose gold. 

Just for fun, I googled: “What is the spiritual significance of gold?”

“Gold symbolizes the purity of the spiritual aspect of “All That Is.” It is symbolic of spirituality and development in the realm of complete understanding, allowing one to both attain and maintain communion with the source of all being. Gold has been called “the master healer.”

Yes, indeed.