I was having dinner with a friend and he asked about my hearing. He has been around sirens his whole career like me. We started together in EMS more than years ago.
I put one hearing aid in his hand and he bobbed it up and down in his palm and frowned as he weighed it in a number of ways.
“There’s no way it is worth the money!” He brought it in for a closer look, and shook his head.
Oh Boy.
I asked him to close his eyes, and close his fingers around around the device. “Use your imagination,” I whispered. “It is now a diamond in your hand. Close to the same weight. Cut to perfection. Now. What is the value?”
He opened his eyes and rolled them.
I continued. “The value is in the value that we give an item. A diamond lasts for generations. It means love and commitment. It shines past multiple lifetimes. That device in your hand is a product of technology and research that crams more processing into a little space than my desktop computer. It has software that focuses on real speech and suppresses the ambient noise around me. It gives me the best opportunity to have a real hearing experience. It gives me the chance to sit in a restaurant with my friend and have a wonderful conversation. Otherwise…
I dropped to a whisper again. “That isn’t a precious stone in your hand, but what it provides for me a visit with you, and that is priceless.”
He gently put the hearing aid in my hand. “Well,” he laughed, “when you put it that way. Here’s your diamond back dear.”
It was great visit. He had the pot roast, and I had pancakes. Those pancakes tasted great covered with great conversation and time well spent with my friend.
Love the analogy of the diamond and the hearing aid. There certainly is value in hearing others and the connections it offers. Priceless…..:)
Thank you. It’s a good story.
Such a good point about worth! Reminds me of the phrase, “the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”.
Cost and value are very different things. Good analogy.
Well said Mary.
Such a great analogy! Makes you think about what other things in life we do and don’t value as much as we should and shouldn’t.
Yes, it sure does Amy. Makes you think…
Such a great story, thank you for sharing Dale! The ability to have a conversation and cherished time spent with a dear friend is worth everything. An item’s worth truly is the value we give it!
Kelly,
I so enjoy reading your comments. They are very supportive and positive. For that, thank you!