by Jeannie Taylor
Why do you think this quote by Frank Tyger caught my attention? Well, for me, simply because it’s not a truthful statement! You could search the Bluegrass high and low and never discover a more attentive listener than myself. I possess some of the best listening skills of anyone my age! I have all the right stuff…see!
At this point you may be asking yourself, “If you’re such an awesome listener, then how do your ears get you in trouble?” Let me explain with an example or two! My parents thought Elvis Presley was the rave, the King of Rock and Roll, a real icon. My siblings and I were forced (well, maybe not forced) to listen to Elvis – often. I think my parents owned every album the man recorded. It never failed that most evenings my mom or dad would go to the dining room where set our big, solid wood, stereo console (straight out of the 70s and now would be considered mid-century vintage) and would ruffle through album covers until they found (yes, you guessed it) their favorite Elvis album. Believe it or not, there’s research out there that suggests children liked the music their parents listened to; however, I beg to differ! I do remember one song that I would sing along with Elvis because the words in the chorus were repeated often. To my hard of hearing ears, Elvis would repeat this chorus line over and over again by singing the words “return to Simba”. At the time, I didn’t know if Simba was a person or a place. I just knew I enjoyed repeating the chorus. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I learned Simba never existed (except as a character in The Lion King during the early 90s). Discovering the correct words to the song came full circle (which was also an event in Simba’s life in The Lion King) and gave new meaning to my world! I hope no one took offence to the slight change of lyrics I made in Elvis’s hit song “Return to Sender”! I suppose many people listening to me (sometimes I would catch myself singing it in front of other people) would laugh or maybe smile and think, what an unusual, creative child to have written new lyrics to “The King’s” songs!
The morale of this story is, if you are a person with hearing loss such as me, then you must learn to laugh at yourself from time to time, daily look for humor in your life, and enjoy the ride!
What do you think?
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I still think being a good listener will not get you in trouble, but I understand what you are saying. It isn’t the listening that gets you in trouble though, it’s the brain working against a person — the interpretation that messes things up. That’s why when sending “text messages” or even emails can get a person in trouble, the interpretation may not be “spot on” because inflections, eye contact, facial expressions and even body language are not included in just the words. Emoticons help but still don’t make up for actually truly hearing. That is why we “hard of hearing” individuals need to rally and get any and all help we can from technology, from the government acknowledging our handicap and from others realizing we do lack some of their God-given abilities (not only self advocating by reminding those we come into contact with). Good article, interesting, insightful for yourself and helpful to those who struggle with any self awareness in this area though!! Applause and kudos to you Jeannie!!
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Jeannie, I too had trouble with songs. I was 50 years old before Connie corrected me. I was singing along with John Denver. “It tastes good to be back home again.” It definitely added new meaning and almost fit–“Supper was on …” I hesitate to complete it. I’m not sure what else I misheard.
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