I've been working at learning ASL... American Sign Language. Wish I started this 20 years ago. This hearing thing... don't know how to deal with it. Like... I'm not deaf. I hear.. but have a really difficult time understanding what people say. Like... most of the time. I go back and forth between being really annoyed, and kinda giving up. No matter how many times you explain--people don't know how, or don't want to ARTICULATE clearly, and slow down, and PROJECT... I wish I'd started learning ASL 20 year ago. At my age, not likely I'll ever be comfortably efficient with it, but if I could, I'd give up vocal speech. Right now. This minute. I mean, FUCK IT! What's the point? I don't understand what you're saying. So why should I say what you can understand, for your benefit, when you don't care enough to make the effort to speak so I can understand you? I can't afford the hearing aid... and the more I think about it, the more it feels like it's not for my MY benefit, but for the very people who won't bother--at best, on 3rd request, to speak so I can understand. So why spend the money? Makes me, like...wanna stop talking. If I can learn ASL.. you want to talk to me... learn it too!
