This morning I went to the beach for the first time since losing my hearing. We went for a long walk (kids and husband) and then had a swim and a play on the sand. I bought a few hot drinks from the cafe and when the man asked me a question I said "I'm deaf and I'm lip-reading you" so he pointed to the different sized cups. "Regular thanks" and he nodded. I've found that if I let people know I'm deaf and lip-reading them they switch modes and start gesturing, pointing, acting out or writing things down. Not one single person I have dealt with has ever been annoyed, frustrated or difficult with me. In fact I have only ever experienced positive reactions.
Back to the beach. It didn't occur to me until hours after we came home, that I didn't hear the sound of the water. Usually this is the best part, listening to the lapping of the waves against the shore. The beach is such a beautiful place and such a visual place that experiencing it in silence was not a bad thing. Phew!
