AGE IS JUST A NUMBER!! IT'S ALWAYS TIME FOR IMPROVEMENT!!
I don’t
ordinarily talk, gripe, or worry about my age. When I turned 80 I switched to “Dog Years” and
celebrated that I was 11.4 years old!
Age should not be such a burden.
Age is what it is, and can be a time to successfully sort out and confront
its real and not-so-real expectations.
I have had
an age-related problem for several years.
From the time the AARP card arrives in the mailbox, many of us are faced
with it but avoid it as one of those “old folks things.” Others won’t swallow
their vanity long enough to consider it.
So, I feel compelled to share my excitement with my friends because my
decision has truly changed my life, regardless of my dog years.
A few weeks
ago I finally bought hearing aids and, like I just said, they have changed my
life. For several years now family
members have urged me to be tested and I resisted their suggestions – not for
vanity but because of the anticipated expense typically not covered by any
insurance. During the last two years I
began to admit to myself I was struggling to hear all the details in classes,
meetings, and parties I attended. During
Thanksgiving dinner with the family around the table it was hard to cover all
the conversations. I had stepped into
the subject as far as talking to friends who already had hearing aids, but when
they commented about the cost, I went no further.
But how
strange is this? Three months ago I woke
up one morning with no hearing in my left ear at all. Truthfully, it was quite scary. After being checked by my personal physician
and an ENT, it was determined that this new development was here to stay with
minimal improvement expected in days ahead.
My only alternative was to “bite the bullet” and explore the mysterious,
pricey world of hearing aids.
Today as I
return to writing more regularly on my BLOG, it seems like a great time to share
with all my friends how I’ve learned the miracle of hearing aids. If you are still young and your ears are
operating like the day you were born just tuck my discovery away until one day
it will come rushing back through your memory and you will trust me and move
ahead for yourself. But if your AARP
membership card is 20 or 30 years old, think again. Do you find yourself lost in group meetings,
struggling to hear details while eating a meal around a table at family
reunions, or (heaven forbid) catching the most important points of the Sunday
sermon? Do the new super hero movies
blast you off your seat but you still don’t pick up on some of the dialog? And if you can no longer win a game of
Scattergories with your grandchildren…well, you are a serious candidate for
hearing aids.
I had a
beloved uncle who wore one hearing aid from the time he was a child. The transmitter was almost the size of our
old portable radios so my impression of wearing a hearing aid related to
something out of the Stone Age. Friends,
by comparison to his aid, mine is a space age adventure. I have totally come alive again to the sounds
of living around me. I can even soften
the sound of those annoying Texas cicadas, finally enjoy the the singing birds
in the back yard, or balance the music our Alexa is playing while it’s all
controlled by my iphone. Every morning I can’t wait to put them in my
ears so I’m back in the swing of things for another day.
I’ve already
told you more than you care to read about my new life of hearing so I won’t
elaborate on how much of the world’s sounds you can temper, separate, sharpen,
or eliminate. Your iphone will become
your best friend even if you aren’t already weirdly protective of it like I
am. And just be warned, if we’re ever
together and someone starts to gossip or expound about politics or religion,
you’ll see me reach for my iphone and tap on my hearing aid app for the Noise
Filter.
I hope I’ve
convinced you all at any age not to miss out on the sounds of life because of
vanity, cost, or the fear of feeling old.
Count up your dog years, swallow your vanity, and write the check. You won’t be sorry.
