Three retirees, each with a hearing loss, were taking a walk one fine June day in The Dalles. One remarked to the other, “Windy, ain’t it?” “No,” the second man replied, “It’s Thursday.” And the third man chimed in, “So am I. Let’s have a coke.”
Does that joke sound too real to anyone besides me? Over the last few years, I have found myself increasingly asking friends to repeat themselves; telling my kids to please “e-nun-ci-ate”, and while watching television constantly annoying my wife with “What did they say?” (Thank goodness for closed captioning.)
But hearing loss is a serious condition – reducing your ability to communicate and consequently affecting your confidence and independence. Unfortunately, hearing loss can become permanent when the tiny hairs in your ears which deliver sound to your brain are damaged from the most common culprits: loud work environments, attending too many Rolling Stones concerts and from changes occurring with that chronic condition you can’t avoid – aging.
Untreated, hearing problems can get worse. But there are several possible treatments to improve your everyday functioning: hearing aids, telephone amplifiers, cochlear implants, special training, certain medicines, surgery and sign language (for those with severe hearing loss). If you are starting to notice hearing loss, don’t wait to check with a hearing professional.
But for some of us, it may be too little too late. And if someday, you and I are having a conversation, and I just smile and nod looking a little goofy, you may want to repeat yourself, because those will be the telltale signs I didn’t have a clue what you were saying.
If you haven’t started your spring cleaning, now is the time, because the Center is accepting donations for its annual Rummage Sale starting Thursday June 28th and continuing through Saturday June 30th. And since the Center is a non-profit, your donations are tax-deductible.
If, as some suggest, dance is a shortcut to happiness, tonight you can find out by dancing to Truman’s Country Gold. And next Tuesday on the 26th, the Jazz Generations will be playing the big band sounds for your listening and dancing enjoyment. The music starts at 7:00, everyone’s invited, and donations are suggested. And in between on Sunday the 24th, the Center will take its turn to host the Pie and Jam Social from 2:00 – 5:00.
I would like to thank Dean Dollarhide, a local agent for State Farm Insurance, for coming through at the last minute (I have to get better organized!) to sponsor last Saturday’s breakfast at the Center. Besides Dean, the Center appreciates the many other local businesses sponsoring the breakfasts over the past year including Mill Creek Point, Flagstone, Cherry Heights Retirement Community, Hearts of Gold, and The Dalles Health and Rehabilitation Center. These businesses are among the many supporting not only the Center but many other community organizations, so don’t forget to shop local first. And if you would like to sponsor one of our Saturday Breakfasts or become a business sponsor, give us a call and will find a place for you.
Okay, this is your last reminder about the “Remember When” Team Trivia night this Friday from 7:00 – 8:30 PM. And remember the secret of team trivia is you only need one really, really smart person and then you just ride their intellectual coattails.
The 1941 film based in part on newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and considered by many to be the greatest film of all time is Citizen Kane. (And the winner of a free Cowboy Breakfast on July 21st is Sandy Goforth.), There aren’t many memories as powerful or tragic as the assassination of President Kennedy. I can still visualize the images from the amateur video recording of President Kennedy’s motorcade passing through Dealey Plaza in Dallas. For this week’s “Remember When” question “What was the name of that silent, color motion sequence that captured President Kennedy’s assassination in 1963?” Email your answer to the mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or include it with a Model 414 PD Bell & Howell Zoomatic Director Series movie camera.
Well, it has been another week, trying to keep my body moving in the direction my head wants to go. Until we meet again, there are times when you just have to go with the flow, because as they say in Arabic “The wind does not blow at the ship’s desire.”
“Time you enjoyed wasting is not wasted time.” T. S. Eliot
