Selective Hearing

Tonight, Eliza and I attended a meeting with several women from church. Although the discussion was serious, the noise level was distracting. The age difference between the group was marked; several of us had children squirming in our laps; most of us did not. The handful of babies and toddlers took over the conversation as the decibel level slowly increased.

I attempted to wrangle Eliza, who was particularly enthralled by the Australian accent of an older woman we sat beside. She was mesmerized and stared open mouthed in amazement as the woman spoke. Anxious to be closer to this Australian stranger, Eliza held her arms out and proceeded to leap towards our neighbor. The woman was completely stoic. I muttered an apology, while Eliza continued to babble and smile. The woman did not respond or even acknowledge I had spoken. There was no recognition whatsoever. Somewhat embarrassed, I tried to be grateful Eliza was not having a full out tantrum as I watched a fellow mother attempt to console her two unhappy children. Unable to calm them down, the young mother gathered her things, placed a child on each hip, and walked out the door.

I then noticed my neighbor holding a tiny, tan object in the palm of her hand. As soon as the door shut behind the noisy group, she put the device in her ear and adjusted the volume. And then it clicked! She had taken out her hearing aid due to our loud children and only replaced them once she thought the coast was clear. Nice. I wasn't sure rather I should be offended or not...so I decided it was just really funny (and convenient for her).

Sometimes, I wish I could adjust the volume of my ears. Ahhh....Silence!