Never thought I’d be giving THIS up…

Photo by chapmankj75

I think I’m losing my hearing.

No, I’m not being overly dramatic. David and Quinland have been telling me that I ignore them, that I ignore my phone… They constantly tell me I’m deaf, but last night finally convinced me.

We are all sharing a room in our Croatian apartment. (Yep – one queen bed and one twin. No romance, but it’s cheaper than a two-bedroom!) Last night I was drifting off to sleep when David said, “What birds sing at night?!” I thought this was a random trivia question, but okay, I’d put my mind to it… until Quinland said, “I know!” and they proceeded to get into a discussion on how we would never be able to fall asleep with all the noise.

I had not heard any noise. I figured I’d missed it, that I’d probably been asleep, so I asked when there had been birds singing.

Long pause… then, “They are singing right now. Can’t you hear it?”

We spent about 15 minutes with them saying, “Okay – do you hear that? How about that? You must be able to hear that!”

When I concentrated as hard as I could, it seemed like I could hear something, but it was more like a disturbance in the Force than birdsong. I’d have David mimic what I should be hearing, and it was never what I’d “heard.”

Pretty soon, I didn’t want to play that game anymore. I was too depressed about my impending deafness. David reassured me very nicely, telling me that I was probably only losing the very highest notes, which go first, and that as long as I didn’t dawdle about getting my hearing checked when we get home, I would be fine.

His main concern is that I might not get hearing aids if/when I need them. I don’t think that will be an issue. I still distinctly remember being eight years old and getting my first pair of glasses: I thought I had superpowers. I had no idea that there were so many things to see that I had been missing. I have never gone without glasses or contacts since that time, and I think I would feel the same about hearing aids.

Still… darn all those times I just had to be right up front for hundreds of concerts in my youth. (I know, who am I kidding? I’d like to be right up front for hundreds more. Maybe I’ll have to wear earplugs.)

By the way… they were nightingales.

Daily Check-In:

• I’m grateful! for my lovey-dovey little family. Having so much time together in Croatia has been wonderful.

• I’m lighter! by a few decibels, I guess…