What a drag it is…

I finally gave in, after years of Susan nagging me, and had my hearing tested. Anyone who knows me knows that I sometimes have to ask them to repeat themselves. My wife is tired of having to do that.

So, two things need to be said from the get-go: one, I was a rhythm guitarist in a rock band in my middle teens; and, two, I have had wax build-up over the years.

I always had the impression that my right ear could hear better than my left one, which is why I would incline my right ear towards a person speaking if I wanted to hear them clearly. I was wrong: I was doing that to compensate for my right ear not performing as well as my left ear. That came as a surprise.

But, because I normally live and ‘work’ in a quiet environment, my ‘need’ to hear isn’t all that pressing. It’s only when we have more than a handful of people around the house that it becomes a little more challenging, and, when we attend the Faith and Science group twice a month. Twenty-five people sitting in a circle in a big room has its moments. (I wish they would project their voices when speaking to the group, but most just speak how they would normally in a conversation.)

Then I got to ‘test run’ a pair of hearing aids. By the time the presentation was over, I wanted to tear those suckers out: I do not like them.

And the final nail in the coffin, as it were, was the price tag: between $5,000 and $6,000.

So, no, I will not be getting any hearing aids any time soon. You all will have to put up with repeating what you’ve said for a little while longer. Even if I won the lottery…