Barbara J. Hamby

sign-up for our email list

Looking at the World Through Clean Windows

The window washer has come and gone and, while all the little spots didn’t go away, the windows are old and so are we. We, too, have defects that become irremovable over time. Looking through clean, clear glass at large chunks of blue sky between the clouds today is pleasant. Yesterday the weather was much warmer and too hot to be inside and so we were outdoors, in and around a large pool.

Last weekend, in a room full of more than 100 diners, I was once again reminded that I don’t suffer crowds well. It’s fun to meet and converse with different people, but I prefer those situations to be in small groups. I’m an older person who still hears well, although my ability to interpret what I hear is impaired. Those of my peers who can hear little or nothing have my deepest sympathy. The elders I envy are those who can hear well enough to get along, but not well enough to have loud music or dialogue hurt their ears. Certain restaurants and theaters exhaust me with their level of noise.

My theory is that the generation behind me, call them Baby Boomers or Rockers or whatever, has so damaged their hearing that they must turn up the volume on everything. They may possibly join the sad group who hear little or nothing in old age. I hope not.

Last night we stopped to eat in a hamburger restaurant. We had been there once before and the food and service are excellent. The ambiance sucks. On our first visit, the hostess seated us in the bar, telling us it would be more quiet since there were no children there. Wrong on the first count, right on the second. Vying for air space in the bar were all sorts of drink mixing equipment, canned music, waitpersons’ voices, and the patrons shouting over all that background noise. Last night we were seated there again and found all the same conditions. We brought half of the over-ample portions home with us to be enjoyed in better surroundings. Even upscale restaurants can be noisy these days.

Perhaps because there is so much noise outside our home, I seldom play music, or listen to radio. I do watch television now and then, but if I’m alone, I turn the volume down low. We have earphones so, if either of us wants to watch while the other reads or pursues other activities, the background noise is not disturbing. We don’t take advantage of a lot of modern technology, but what we have is helpful and appreciated.