Lending An Ear - Quite Literally

As the auditory world becomes less accessible, I find I have to make a choice to take part even when I don’t know what is being said, even when I know I won’t be able to hear. 

Connection is so important. I figured that out late in life and now that I know what it is, and how much it enriches life, I don’t want to do without it. 

The ACA meetings I attend are vital to my growth, understanding and connection but I have to admit that I am only hearing about a quarter of what takes place. I do my best, sit in a central, unimpeded location, watch faces, turn up those tiny contraptions that make life hearable and still I miss so much BUT I have a lovely weapon that helps me connect. Wherever I go, if the Boy Scout is with me, I have a veritable tape recorder. Boy Scout has a great memory so after each meeting, we go down the list and he gives me a summary of what each person has shared. I get the opportunity to connect even though it may be second hand. I am grateful for that because it matters what people say. I want them to know that I listen and care.

I will not retire to my home because I can’t hear. I will not isolate my body even when my ears make me feel alone. This is a battle worth fighting. I need people. I have something to offer. 

I will connect.  

Comments

  1. Debra She Who SeeksDecember 18, 2022 at 8:37 AM

    Good for you! Keep striving and participating and sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. PixieDecember 18, 2022 at 8:42 AM

    Can you get a cochlear implant? Are there AA meetings for the deaf?

    ReplyDelete
  3. MargaretDecember 18, 2022 at 9:04 AM

    It's fortunate that you have the Boy Scout to help you keep engaged. I admire you for putting yourself out there and staying involved, even when the lack of hearing makes you want to withdraw.

    ReplyDelete
  4. BillDecember 18, 2022 at 9:35 AM

    Good for you, a little help can do a lot

    ReplyDelete
  5. NewRobin13December 18, 2022 at 11:19 AM

    I love your attitude and that you plan to stay engaged. Yes!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Marie SmithDecember 18, 2022 at 3:42 PM

    Yes! This is great! You two are a great team!

    ReplyDelete
  7. JeanieDecember 27, 2022 at 4:39 AM

    Well said! I love that he goes, too. And no, never lock yourself away from the world. You've got this.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

What do you have to say about that?

Popular posts from this blog

Private Eye

Image
We pass by the house frequently since it sits on a busy thoroughfare. We know to look every time we pass and guess what will we see. Will it be the two Dalmatians, sitting on the couch that backs up to the giant panel window, waiting for their human to come home? Or will it be their human, sitting slightly to the right of middle (allowing for a better view of the giant mounted tv across the room) of the said couch. They are never there at the same time. It’s one or the other. One sleepless night, when my body was willing but my brain was not, I did a little sleuthing. It’s amazing what you can find out about a complete stranger.   His name is Gary and, from what I can tell, he’s never been married. He has worked his way up in a air duct company. He’s now the senior VP but it’s a small company and he still goes out on jobs, judging from  the reviews on Yelp. I know he has two siblings and that their father passed away in 2018. His memorial was held in a Buddhist temple and Gary sr. soun
Read more

Go!

Image
 Vai. E, se der medo, vai con medo mesmo. When one is raised in an angry family, it’s not enough to say I don’t want to be angry. You must learn how to do it differently. That’s no easy task. If judgment and self hatred became a way of life, a new way to live has to be taught. There are many ways to do it. Reading, writing, sharing, practicing all help the change. Counseling, psychoanalysis, religion, meditation, gratitude, have the ability to transform but I needed to see it in action, it needed to be more tangible, visual, accessible. I needed to understand the possibilities. There is a YouTube channel that I watch over and over again in order to absorb how to live more fully, more open and from the heart. One of the first episodes that I stumbled on is this…. The channel is Reflections of Life and through it we get to meet people who are doing life a little differently, often more soul based. People who are living life, healing wounds and finding what is truly important.  It can be
Read more

Let's Be Perfectly Clear

I would like your input on this letter I am considering sending out. Darryl, I once considered you, if not a friend, a very friendly acquaintance. Our daughters are the same age. I am sure that your daughter is as special to you as mine is to me. McKenna is 21 years old and starting out her life with some tough situations. SHE IS NOT AN OBJECT. She is a person who has her ups and downs, her struggles and triumphs. She has, in the past year, completely alone, had to make scary medical decisions for her mentally ill, addicted father. She has had to watch as the man who was an amazing father slowly turn into a shell of a man who has little to give and much to take. Whether purposefully or accidentally, you have added to her already difficult year. I wonder…would you appreciate my ex-husband leering and making inappropriate comments to your daughter over the course of a long evening? Think about that for a moment!  What were you hoping to achieve with your behavior? Whether
Read more