Walking out from his appointment with his new hearing aids, my patient turned to me and said, “You know what I’m going to do tomorrow? I’m going to sit outside in the morning with my cup of coffee and listen to the birds.” His favorite activity. Which he has not enjoyed for several years since the onset of his hearing loss.
Another patient reported, “The other day I was hiking next to a river. I love hearing the rushing water. It started to rain so I took my hearing aids out. When they came out, the river went dead. I was so sad that I put them back in, and the river came back to life.” Her favorite sound, the sound of a babbling brook. Hiking is more than just traversing through paths in the woods. It is a full sense experience, embodying the sight of the leaves on the trees, the smell of the earth, the feel of the cool breeze on your skin, and yes, the sound of the leaves rustling on the trees or the rush of a river.
What is your favorite sound? Have you heard it recently or has hearing loss invaded this simple aspect of life? How would your life be enriched if you could hear your favorite sound everyday without the hindrance of hearing loss?
If you have hearing loss, don’t let it keep you from the simple joys of life like hearing the birds chirp or rain hitting your roof, your tea kettle whistling or flipping the crisp pages of your favorite book. These sounds add color to life and make it beautiful. Open up your life to the world of sound again.
I love to see the patients face light up when they share stories like this.
Same here. Thanks Tiffany for sharing!
very neat
Right on….neat!
All of nature’s beautiful sounds are my favorite!!
Love nature sounds too!
The miracle is in the connection.
It sure is Dale!