This past week one of my ears was clogged. I won’t go into details describing the nature of this disorder. I will say though that I endured it for a week, trying various remedies, before, in desperation I went to the doctor’s office (with all three girls in tow!) As the pressure in my left ear was relieved, I saw the visible evidence of what had been blocking my hearing: pretty impressive!
Still sitting on the patient’s chair, I noticed the difference immediately. Now I had a new imbalance, with my right ear feeling clogged in comparison. I begged the nurse to clean my other ear as well, but since it had not been prepared, my right one did not achieve the same result.
On the way home, my ears blessed me. I heard the percussion on the music playing in the car: I was surprised to hear drums and tamborines that I had never noticed in the children’s songs on the stereo. Turning the van, the signal sound seemed sharper, with more depth and clarity in the clicks. At home, turning on the tap into the sink created a crisp cascade. I heard a richness in running water, tones resonating in new ways. Everything seemed clearer: the world was a wonder, filled with new sounds and songs to discover.
And I wondered: What else am I not hearing?
