My
hearing issues with tinnitus span decades of “that’s the way it is” acceptance.
A few years ago, large groups and noisy classrooms meant I guessed at words and
phrases unless the speaker stood straight before me. Frankly, once I stepped
away from crowded rooms, I stopped noticing the decline in my hearing ability.
Until this
last year, that is. When I sit in the back seat of the car, any conversations
from up front dodge back to me with uncertainty. At first, I excused my
inability to discern conversations because music played around us, and my
family members faced forward. Explanations I chimed to myself to avoid the
inevitable. The other day, I begged my husband to repeat numbers to me as we
worked our monthly budget. “Was that a five? Or a nine?” If he doesn’t turn to
face me directly, I’ll have to ask again.
I know that’s
clearly a sign that things have changed more than I’d like to admit. I need to have a long talk with my physician during
my annual exam this summer. I can convince myself that not having to ask “What?”
a billion times a day will add quality to my life. If hearing aids become my
newest dip into elderly fashion, I will embrace them with cool self-confidence.
After all, it’s still better than all of those years I wore braces!
