Every morning, I sit on my front step and take in a few moments of quiet while a sip my coffee. The mornings have gotten cooler and I am finding leaves scattered on my driveway and lawn. Fall is upon us.
There is a quote that comes up on my feed every September: “The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let things go.” It reminds me of how hard we try to hold on to things that are familiar, not because they are good for us, but because they’re what we know. Letting go can mean releasing the comfort of the familiar and stepping into the unknown. While this can feel a bit scary, it has been my experience that wading into unfamiliar territory opens us up to growth, new experiences, and reward.
An example. Recently, a patient of mine with single-sided deafness recently considered and followed through with a Cochlear Implant on her “dead” ear. She had a bilateral hearing loss and lacking complete hearing on one side really affected how she related to friends, family and community. This decision came after years and years of struggle, and wasn’t easy. She had preconceived notions on her outcome but bravely pushed past them. I share her thoughts in a short clip (above), and her words below after our exchange. There is much to consider regarding the story we tell ourselves, the fear that drives us away from what’s best for us, and what being uncomfortable really means for us. All shared with her permission of course.
Jeanne’s message:
A final thought for Dr. Battat
I went over everything when I got home but I never told you what my biggest fear was and I think this is important to share.
My biggest fear wasn’t the surgery. It wasn’t that the surgery might trigger my vertigo and it also wasn’t how long it would take me to hear normally.
My biggest fear was the audiologist telling me that I would have to retrain my brain to hear again after not hearing in my left ear for so long! At 76 years old that really scared me! Was that even possible at my age? Could I retrain my brain?
Well I could and I did! But I never looked ahead to see any bumps in the road I might come across,
I always looked behind me to see much I already accomplished!
And it was so good to see everyone today!
Jeanne
