hearing loss

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Hearing Can Be A Problem … “What Did You Say”?

I am experiencing what it’s like to lose my hearing before I lose my hearing. 

hearing can be a problem ... what did you say?

Many people struggle to hear well. I even wonder if the most used phrase in the world is, “What did you say?” 

We all use that phrase – maybe because there is other noise in the room, maybe because something else caught our attention, or maybe because the person speaking mumbled or dropped their voice a little. 

We all know what it is like to not hear something. 

I think I have good cause to have some hearing loss. In my teens and early twenties, I went to my fair share of rock concerts … and probably used up others’ fair shares as well. 

There wasn’t a concert that didn’t leave me with a little ringing in my ears. 

Though I haven’t been exposed to constant loud noise in my life, I’ve experienced enough. 

The first year I was a chaplain for the Kingston Frontenacs we held chapel in the opposing team’s dressing room. I don’t know if they do this on purpose but the visiting team’s dressing room is right below the cooling engine for the rink. To keep the ice from melting, this cooling system has to be on. And it is loud. 

I always felt like I was yelling at the players while giving my talk and praying. Fortunately we moved from that spot the next year.

My wife, Lily, has tinnitus. She always hears some competing noise with whoever is speaking to her. 

Then, as we get older, our ears naturally experience some hearing loss. 

About two months ago, I accidentally drove a Q-tip into my ear so hard it bled (read about that here). That certainly didn’t improve my hearing but, generally speaking, I can hear well. 

I do have a set of headphones I wear in my workout room though. I watch TV while I work out to keep my mind off of what I’m doing. The machines I use make so much noise that I would have to turn the TV up to a crazy volume to hear it. So I wear a pair of wireless headphones. 

The one problem with them is that they randomly cut out for maybe three or four seconds. Every time they do, it seems like it is right at the point when someone is saying something important. 

Three or four seconds is not much, but it is just enough to lose the context for what was said and make me feel like I’m missing something and am now in the dark. 

I’m sure that is how people who suffer hearing loss feel most of the time. It keeps you from engaging. It becomes easier to sit back and simply nod or just observe others and not be part of any conversation.

One thing for sure is I don’t like it. I’m not looking forward to the day my hearing goes. 

For now I’ll just get a new pair of headphones.

Here’s the thing: At Christmas time we tell the story of how Jesus came to earth. It is an amazing story, a story of how much God loves us. But it’s not the whole story. It’s just the part of God’s gift to us. It doesn’t tell us how to received this gift. It’s easy to hear this part of the story and, like hearing loss, not know what happens next and maybe check out of the conversation or just observe it. We all need to listen for the full story of how Jesus died to pay for our sin and how, by placing our faith in Him, we can receive God’s gift of love to us. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you been missing out on? Leave your comments and questions below.

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It Will Catch Up To You At Some Point

I’m beginning to think that things I didn’t pay attention to in my youth are beginning to catch up to me.

It will catch up to you at some point

There are things you do or expose yourself to when you are young that you think nothing of. Later those things may prove to be a hindrance to you. 

I noticed one of those things the other weekend. It never bothered me when I was young, but now it does.

When I was in my teens and twenties I listened to a lot of music – loud music. If I could turn the stereo up past “10”, I would. 

I went to concerts in Toronto at Maple Gardens, Massey Hall and Exhibition Stadium and they were loud. My young ears soaked up the noise at that time, no problem. 

I even went to a concert at Exhibition Stadium once where we sat halfway back from the stage and I still had ringing in my ears for two days after the concert. Of course, my young ears sucked it up and I could hear fine a few days later. 

However, scrolling ahead some 35 years or more, I don’t handle loud noises like I used to. 

This past weekend I realized that when there are loud, competing noises, I have a hard time hearing what the person next to me is saying. 

I went to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ final game of the season with my son, Mike. Man, was it ever loud!

There was a women sitting next to me with a high-pitched voice. She was from PEI and had two kids. She was very friendly and throughout the game kept peppering me with questions about where I lived and my family. 

Definitely not a Torontonian.

But her high voice and the mask she was wearing made it almost impossible to hear her over the deafening noice from the arena sound system.

There was a song recorded several years ago by a group named, “The Pursuit of Happiness”. The song was about a rock singer getting older and finding it hard to make the adjustments to his aging. One line in the song says, “I can’t take too much loud music; I mean I like to play it, but I sure don’t like the racket.”

That’s how I feel. I like it all but I just can’t hear very well with all the competing noise around me. 

The lady beside me took her mask off at the end of the game to say some things to me. I thought I would be able to hear her better without her mask. However, the four drinks she had somehow turn the pitch of her voice up a couple of octaves. Add to that her slurred speech and I couldn’t make out anything she said.

Mike had to interpret for me. I just smiled and nodded.

Here’s the thing: There are so many loud voices out there. And with all the various mediums to hear those voices – TV, movies, social media – it can become very loud. Hey, even our own voice is often too loud. It’s easy with all that noise to become insensitive to what God might be saying to you … or you might just have a hard time hearing Him at all. It’s important to discover ways to hear God above the noise. The Bible, prayer, sermons, Christian music can all help interpret what God might be speaking to you. Listen carefully.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How has your hearing been lately? Leave your comments and questions below.

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