The Story of my Life

RANDOM PERSON: Hi Paul, ghh mmm hnm ghmrns.

PAUL CATMUR: Sorry, I didn’t hear that, I’m deaf in one ear.

RANDOM PERSON: What? (Ha, ha!)

I’m always surprised by how many people thought I would find that funny.

I’ve been almost entirely deaf in my right ear since birth. Over the years I’ve been told that nothing could be done for me, but finally technology has caught up and today I got some hearing aids.

I know, I know, there are worse afflictions than partial deafness (complete deafness for one), but it came with its own challenges, not helped by everyone else’s disinclination to accept it as an ailment worthy of consideration.

I’ve had plenty of time to get used to it but looking back it has affected my life in many ways:

-The punishments my father meted out because I’d ignored his dinner time instructions.

-The five years spent as a casino dice dealer struggling to keep up with a game which is largely dependant on verbal bets.

-The people who saw me as rude and arrogant because I hadn’t heard and responded their comments. (I may actually be rude and arrogant too, but that’s not the point.)

-The people who saw me as stupid because of my slowness to respond. (This included my father.)

-The paranoia of being in social groups and unable to follow or contribute to the conversation.

-The meetings I’ve been in where I’ve spent several minutes answering the wrong question because I didn’t hear the right one.

-The sweet nothings girls have whispered in my ear never to be heard. (I may have imagined this.)

Was it coincidence that I’m so introverted or was that actually a result of my aural limitations?

Now I’ve got that out of the way I know there are quite a few people out there who could also probably do with some hearing help and who are holding back for various reasons. PM me if you have any specific questions and I’ll let you know how I get on.

In the meantime please don’t shout at me anymore. It hurts.