New beginnings, old memories

Fragrance Lake, taken last Thursday

I'll bet that snow in the foreground is already gone, or almost by now. It's three days since I took that picture, and it's been partly sunny, even if not all that warm. After having learned how the Senior Trailblazers fared on Thursday (not well at all), I think we had the best time, going to Fragrance Lake and traversing the circumference and part of the Two Dollar trail. It would have been a different story without Melanie's forethought to add spikes for our boots. It was a glorious day.

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. —John Ruskin

 Yesterday three of us ladies walked together down to Squalicum Harbor, feeling the cold wind and then the rain before we were done, reminding me that we are quite lucky to have so many "different kinds of good weather." I was wearing my very own brand-new hearing aids for the first time on a hike of any sort. Although they are "water resistant," I was careful not to let them get too wet, since that's just the sort of thing that ruins hearing aids. My friend John cautioned me to remember to remove them before taking a shower; he forgot once and had to take them in for professionals to dry them. I can see how quickly you can forget you're wearing them. Already my brain has decided that they are vastly superior to my previous world of muffled hearing. When I took them off last night to charge them, I noticed how different the entire world feels when my hearing is not crisp and sharp.

On Friday I had two appointments, one to be introduced to my hearing aids, and the other was to have my eyes checked at an annual exam. I will receive a new prescription for one eye, my good one, while the other is exactly as it was a year ago: not good but not getting any worse. I have managed to maintain my vision for another year, which is good news that I have at least one more year of being able to continue to drive. Age-related macular degeneration is no picnic, but so far I've been able to cope.

Once I have my new vision prescription filled, I'll make an appointment to renew my driver's license, which expires at the end of the year. Now that I am eighty, I wondered if I would be subjected to a driving test, but it turns out that it will only be a vision check in Washington. In some locations around the country, you do need to take a driving test at eighty and beyond, but here I guess it will be at my own discretion as to when to stop driving. I also think I might not be able to get it renewed for more than five years. Hopefully there are checks and balances for the elderly to be safe on the road, not only for ourselves, but for others, too.

I am learning to navigate this new juncture in life: being an octogenarian, and heading quickly toward the third stage of being elderly.  I found this at the National Institute of Health website:

Although there are different ways to classify this population, some studies have classified elderly adults between the ages of 65 and 74 years as youngest-old, those between ages 75 and 84 years as middle-old, and those aged over 85 years as oldest-old.

If the last five years has demonstrated anything to me, it's that I am at the stage of life where every single year brings further changes to my physical self. I am needing to keep exercising and stretching in order to maintain what I have and what I intend to keep for as long as possible. I have been blogging since 2009, and going back and seeing what I once was able to do (this covers a 14-year period), it's rather breathtaking. Back then, I was still skydiving, making less than a hundred or so jumps a year (as compared to thousands when I was in my forties and fifties), and now I can only imagine what it would be like to leap from an airplane. But the memories remain, and the feeling of freefall will always be a magical time; even the memory of those sixty-some hours brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart.

But now let's talk about those hearing aids. I have what is called a BTE (behind the ear) model, which has some interesting facets. Here's a picture:

Not exactly like mine, but almost

I have a slightly different looking dome; it's more like a tiny dark little horn, but otherwise it's quite similar. I have downloaded an app onto my iPhone that allows me to fiddle with things like volume, directional control, as well as bass and treble control. I found I like mine a little more treble, and can change the volume right on the top of the hearing aids as well as with the phone. The hardest part for me, so far, is getting that little retention wire in the right place. It keeps wanting to pop out on my right ear, but I've found that if I work on getting it into its proper place, it will stay where it belongs.

I have very small ears and teeny little ear canals, so maybe that's part of the problem. But the problem is slight, and I'll get used to it, I'm sure. So far, I am thrilled with the difference in hearing ability, although the coffee shop environment is not as comfortable as it was before, with me being able to pick up loud conversations way too easily. I'm still working on getting that directional control business down pat.

I was worried about how the hearing aids would interact with my glasses, but the earpieces slip right underneath that beige thingie and don't seem to be a problem at all. I guess most people who need hearing aids also need glasses, so they've dealt with those problems already. I've only had the aids since Friday, but already I get up and put them in my ears right away, so the world sounds "right." And I can see how you begin to forget they are there, and you need to pay attention in order not to knock one out by mistake. I can get a replacement if I lose or damage one, but it's pricey ($275).

And I can answer or reject phone calls right on my hearing aids! I hear the sounds in the middle of my head, like I am wearing headphones. I guess in a way I am. I listened to a podcast yesterday with them, because I no longer can use my AirPods with the hearing aids, and it was delightful. I also answered a phone call from my sweetie, who called me so I could feel where the button is. It's pretty cool!

Can you tell that so far I am very happy with them? I remember when I first got my new "eyes" when I had cataract surgery, which gave me so much better vision. It's much the same. And I am also so glad I paid the extra for rechargeable batteries, since all I need to do is put them into the charger at night and they are good to go in the morning. Once I get them paid for, my next purchase will be a new laptop. 

Maybe navigating the new era will be a new beginning for lots of different parts of my life. The good thing is that I can afford all this, because of my health insurance plan. I know I could have gone with the Costco version or over-the-counter aids, but I decided I wanted to have coverage that would include an audiologist and plenty of help if I need it. Plus I get a three-year warranty and periodic cleanings during that period.

It's getting lighter outside earlier every day, since we are gaining more than three minutes of daylight each day,  until we reach the spring equinox on March 20. Not so far away now, and I am already looking forward to the Tulip Festival next month. And all the other spring flowers! Melanie and I should be seeing the first signs of trillium any day now, while we are on our weekly mountain hikes.

Well, after hearing my sweetheart's breathing next to me (amplified!) and having finished my tea, it's time to begin the rest of my day. I will let you know next week if I am still happy with my new hearing aids, and what else might happen during the coming days. I do hope you will be finding good things to enjoy, and that you will be surrounded by love and happiness. Until we meet again next week, dear friends, I wish you all good things.