Sunday Funnies – Can You Hear Me Now?
Posted on Sunday, March 4th, 2012
My Gram saved the Sunday Funny Papers for me and my daughter Nicole every week – many, many years ago. I think it gave us both an appreciation for the fine art of mixing humor with work. (It could also explain a lot… ) I’ll try to pass on my Gram’s gift here, sort of as a reminder to laugh every day. Thanks, Gram. Let’s see who’s got a chuckle for us today…
This little joke just made me laugh, probably because I lived it. {{sigh}}
Of all the limitations in growing older, I think hearing loss is one of the most frustrating. It’s just a slow process, and one that the sufferer never wants to admit to.
We all have our laughs over getting more and more vision-impaired, right? You know, our kids tease us; “Hey Mom. You want some arm extenders so you can read that?”
But, hearing loss just seems to be… I don’t know, resisted. Denied. Avoided. Condemned. There doesn’t seem to be anything acceptable about it, and certainly not funny. That’s why I decided to post this joke. It’s funny because it’s true. This is how it happens. I can only laugh… now. Enjoy!
Can You Hear Me Now?
A husband and wife were getting along in years. The husband decided his wife was getting hard of hearing. So he called her doctor to make an appointment to have her hearing checked.
The Doctor said he could see her in two weeks, and meanwhile there’s a simple test the husband could do to give the doctor some idea of the extent of the problem.
The Doctor said; “Here’s what you do. Start about 30 feet away from her, and speak in a normal conversational tone and see if she hears you. If not, go to 20 feet, then 10 feet, and so on until you get a response.”
That evening the wife was in the kitchen cooking dinner, and the husband was in the living room. The husband figures he’s far enough away so he starts the test.
“Honey, what’s for supper?” No response.
So he moves closer.
“Honey, what’s for supper?” No response.
So he moves even closer.
“Honey, what’s for supper?” No response.
So he walks right up behind her.
“Honey, what’s for supper?”
“How many times do I have to tell you? Chicken!
I can laugh at that now. But it’s not easy. We can laugh at failing eye sight, creaking bones, wrinkles, age spots, shrinking spines, drooping boobs, spreading waistlines – all struggles of aging. Why is hearing loss such a taboo topic? If you’re having trouble talking to someone you love about hearing loss, try throwing this joke into the conversation. Trust me – you’re going to have to laugh about it so you can move your sweetie beyond denial. Good luck!
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Oh Patti, do you always know JUST what is going on in my life right now!!!
My husband is in so much denial about his hearing loss. He is 50 and says no one loses their hearing at 50. but whole conversations go by without him understanding what the kids and I are talking about and then he tries to pick up in the middle and gets angry when we don’t repeat again what we said.
We have a great audiologist close by that many of my friends have used. He says that they only want to sell hearing aids and that he doesn’t have a problem. I find this so frustrating.
Thanks for the funny.
Thanks, Sylvia, for stopping by and sharing your story. YES… it IS very frustrating. Why oh why is hearing loss such a problem to admit?! I went through several years of being told that I mumbled, everybody mumbled, etc. And, yes, it really does end up in some ridiculous fights. All I can say is good luck and sometimes an outside party (doctor perhaps) can approach the subject without getting into an argument. I feel your pain. Sorry Sylvia.
Great post, Patti! So true. My parents are in their mid 70’s and my dad has been hard of hearing for several years now, but now my mother, suddenly, is worse than him. Ohhhh – it’s so frustrating to talk to them. I just keep trying to keep in mind that I’m sure I’ll be right there with them in a few years! Yes, my dad has hearing aids but refuses to wear them!
OMG Nina… I can so relate to this ‘refusing to wear them’ issue! First, it takes years to get a person to accept the fact that they can’t hear well anymore, then it takes time to get them into the doctor for a hearing test, then it takes time to actually get the hearing aids fitted, and THEN they won’t wear the blankity-blank things! I don’t want to throw my DH under the bus here, but… sheesh!
😀 Thanks for sharing, Nina.