Time marches forward.

[betacentauri]

I guess it's about time I posted something new. So, yes, I'm still alive and well. Sorry enemies, whoever you are

Comments

Good luck with your surgery

[anonymous]

I was mostly saddened by your post and I wonder how much your deafness has to do with being able to communicate well on line but not so well in person. The internet is a great leveller - you are not deaf on-line, but in person it is harder to communicate where listening is such an important skill. I too suffered this problem. I couldn't meet anyone in person, because they all saw my deafness as a barrier. However, I met my husband on line. We communicated heavily for about 3 weeks before meeting. The deafness issue had to be confronted and that was particularly difficult because it meant being very honest about how it affected me/my life and would impact on his. But because we had established such a rapport before meeting, after 24 hours of deliberation my husband was able to see that the deafness was only a hiccup and did not define me. We've been married 9 years now and our relationship is still as good as it was on day 1. At the time I did not have a Cochlear implant and having it has only improved our relationship

Re: Good luck with your surgery

[betacentauri]

Thank you for your kind reply. Do I know you, or are you just an anonymous empathizer from Australia? I'd be interested in talking to you either way.

I agree that the Internet is a great leveller in this respect. However, all too often people I meet in person see my shortcomings as permanent personality defects and conclude that I am not worth working with to resolve the issues. This is true even for those I've gotten close to online, as you did with your husband. You know something funny? Frequently they say to me they wouldn't have a problem working with someone who's deaf. Sadly, I think your point is quite accurate.