I feel compelled to write about some of the life-changing effects that progressive hearing loss has had on my life and, one day (when I can devote all the uninterrupted time I need), I will. But, for now, let me simply say that, since the onset of this fairly recent obstacle, I am realizing more and more how those effects are many-faceted. Their complexity invades my daily life in ways I never would have considered had I not had this experience. Today, I will leave it at that, except to say that in the past, whenever I have considered my life's journey and what might be further down the road, I never saw this coming. Neither would it have been my choice - naturally. Yet, there is a choice that does belong entirely to me and that is how I respond: Is my cup half full? Or half empty? Or...does it overflow? With that in mind, I can't keep myself from feeling curious and even just a little bit excited about what will unfold and what I will learn from this unexpected experience. It's going to be an adventure and I will surely be listening to God's nudges and hearing them loud and clear!
I have a hearing deficit in my right ear. Never really had it tested but I know that I do. For example, if I'm on the phone it HAS to be on my LEFT ear. And if you're in the room with me you need to leave or be quiet because if you speak I can't hear YOU or the person on the phone. TV has to go down too. I sleep on my stomach, (always have) and my head has to be laying with my LEFT ear down against the pillow. I find it difficult to speak to someone through a door or wall or even if they're not FACING me as I need to look at the person's mouth to hear them clearly. It's not really "lip reading" but I suspect that it's similar. These changes have come on over the years have been very suttle. I suspect that the cause was from years of performing in loud classic rock bands with no ear protection. It's funny how when we're young, how we look at ourselves as bullet proof. Dad once told me that the older we get, the more we will feel our mortality. He was right indeed.
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