Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Tag: Hearing Loss and Cochlear Implant
You Just Need One
You don’t need an army. You just need one. One person who, like you, lost her job. One person whose brother, like yours, lost his mind. One person whose house, like yours, burned to the ground. One person whose children, like yours, fail in… Continue Reading “You Just Need One”
Blindsided
I wasn’t prepared for this. No one told me how to take my personality, my intelligence, my accomplishments, my ambition, my ego and put them all behind a gauzy thick wall that mutes most voices and distorts the sounds of everyday life. The siren… Continue Reading “Blindsided”
It’s Not Your Fault
I just apologized to the complete stranger that I snapped at five minutes ago while we were both standing in line to be seated at the Terrace Cafe at Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, where I have no place being because I’m not… Continue Reading “It’s Not Your Fault”
Supersized
Seven thousand dollars. That’s what I paid today. If I was working at a local McDonald’s, that would represent 42% of my annual pay. Paid in one lump sum. Did I buy a car? A boat? A trip to Europe? Nope. I bought the… Continue Reading “Supersized”
News Alert
The bringing in of the sheaves has been postponed indefinitely. A few weeks ago, I wrote a very depressing piece called “Bringing in the Sheaves” about the impact of my hearing loss on my work. At the time, I was a couple of weeks… Continue Reading “News Alert”
Real Deal
I once dated a guy with false teeth, well, dentures, I should say. Saying false teeth makes him sound like George Washington. He wasn’t old, well, a bit older than me and I was in my early thirties. I’d suspected that his teeth weren’t… Continue Reading “Real Deal”
The Stigma of Hearing Loss
These are my hearing aids. I wear them every waking hour except when I am tired of hearing things. When I don’t wear them, I hear very little. When I do wear them, sounds can be distorted and speech indecipherable. It depends on the… Continue Reading “The Stigma of Hearing Loss”
Greedy
Winding around the cochlea, stretching to the auditory nerve, coiling in the middle ear, nesting slyly behind the ear drum, Beast’s eyes close while he waits patiently to devour all the beautiful words. _____________________ Written in response to a Trifecta Writing Challenge: 33 words… Continue Reading “Greedy”
On the Other Side
I think I passed over to the other side. It happened tonight with my 12 college students. “You’ll have to speak louder. Remember I can’t hear.” So the young woman in the corner spoke so I could hear her but I know she was… Continue Reading “On the Other Side”
Listen to Jan read her essay “Billy” presented on WUWM’s Lake Effect.
Jan’s essay “At the Breakfast Bar” on WUWM Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “The Parish Hall,” on WUWM Lake Effect May 27, 2020
“Fury Cannot Touch Me,” Modern Love, NYT, 9/29/11
