CONGRATULATION! said the friendly voice at the other end of the line. I was taken aback – what do you mean Congratulation? What is there to be happy about when one needs a hearing aid?
When I told a friend about this she explained, “You got that all wrong, she meant Congratulation – you are finally getting a hearing aid.”
Yes, it has been a long time that I hear only half of what is going on around me, like lectures I attend, or not knowing what my grandchildren said, or having to put the TV up a few notches. I once read that when getting older the hardest thing to admit is that we don’t hear well anymore – how true!
I went through this with my mother who refused to get a hearing aid and blamed everyone for mumbling, not making it her fault that she had now clue who said what – and later claimed that nobody told her anything anymore. Her refusal didn’t go down well with me. I blamed her for being unreasonable and not facing facts. But now the moment had come for me to face facts. Admittedly, liker her, I delayed and delayed. Until last summer when I went on trip to Switzerland with my family and missed half of what was being said at dinner or otherwise.
Fate must have heard me because suddenly there was an add for a hearing aid on Instagram nearly daily. ‘A free trial, return within 6 weeks if it does not work out, nearly invisible, easy to handle and guess what? They finally convinced me. Me, a super-anti-shopping-on-line person went for the free trial. But before that I had my hearing tested by a doctor, and with the results went for a free trial.
When they came I opened the box carefully, hesitantly. I looked at all the instructions, and the two little gismos, looking like little flies, in the black round charger. Looking for another delay I put everything back in the box and decided to call my daughter-in-law Ann for help. Being a health teacher she is very efficient in these matters. Together we read the booklet and according to the instructions she inserted the two little flies into my ears. Result, I couldn’t even feel them and better yet they are nearly invisible. Very important because I am very vain.
My first trip out was a lunch with a friend, walking into the restaurant I the noise was deafening, but then I remembered that all I had to do was tap my ears lightly and the sound adjusted – it really did. This feature of tapping the ear to increase or decrease any noise is very discreet and easy.
By now I must sound like an advertisement for this hearing aid – well if you need to know – it is called EarGo. So if you miss a beat here or there – check it out -and the price is reasonable. AND I can assure you it works well.
I will certainly life longer hearing what the word around me has to say, but if I don’t live longer because of it, at least I was fully present while alive.
And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
Ready to Live Longer 