Conceal....Denial....Devices! God's Humor

The “cat” is coming out of the bag. Have you ever tried to “conceal” something for as long as you can…and I am not talking about trying to still get into your college clothes after having 2 kids. Honestly, there is no concealing there, just a bit of denial and crowding.

I have been trying to “deny” that I am losing my hearing. This past summer I finally admitted it to Matt which he threw up his hands and said, “Finally!”

After tests I found out the loss is not something that can be helped with hearing aids. I can still hear high tones and low tones…especially the high tones. It is my conversational hearing that I am losing. My ENT stated that I am losing decibels and that I need to look at people when they are talking, try not to have a conversation in a crowded room and by all means, never have an important conversation in the car. First of all….how many of you know Matt comes from a very large family? And yes, I made the mistake of having an important conversation in the car…with Matt. I learned my lesson, and so did he.

Now, I saw an advertisement for a hearing device geared for those who are “losing their conversational hearing”. I thought, “now this is something I can do. I can conceal the item and have my earphones set behind my hair, no one will know.”

Have any of you ever watched that commercial where the woman is yelling at her husband because he keeps turning things up? Have you noticed that when they have this lovely device that they are holding up, away from them and towards the area they wish to hear?

Okay, so my device arrives and I unpack it with great enthusiasm thinking I will be able to hear Matt and it will no longer cause frustration. Can I tell you what I heard once I turned it on…..my own footsteps (loudly), my shirt rustling, his shirt rustling…everyone’s shirt rustling….what I could not hear plainly was Matt’s voice.

So, if you are losing your hearing and decide to purchase one of these devices…here is my advice. Hold it up, tell the person to speak directly into the speaker and by all means, don’t breathe or move because all you will hear is their shirt moving.

I did have to laugh at God’s timing for me to reveal it to my family. It was during my grandmother’s GRADUATION service. My guitar had been sitting by the register and went out of tune. When I picked it up and began to sing…I could tell something was not quite right. I stopped and looked and stated that it was out of tune. My cousin said warmly, “It’s okay, Angel, we’ll wait while you tune it.” Yeah, I used to tune my guitar by ear…which now meant I would need to lean down, reach in my case and pull out my tuner. So, in the midst of the service I humbly shared about my hearing loss, then shared stories about Grandma and how she and grandpa were the ones who encouraged me to sing…all while my tuner tuned my guitar. I’m just glad I did not have that device on. How funny would that have looked? “Could someone please hold this so the speaker is right by the strings please? And please, everyone stop breathing, your shirts are rustling!"