I Married a Good Man

I was sitting in the car repair shop this morning with my laptop on a table, getting ready to join a meeting using the Z4 videophone.  Two ladies sat nearby and one of them began talking to me.  I looked up and said, “Oh, sorry, I didn’t hear what you said, I’m deaf.”

She laughed and pointed to the hearing aids perched in her ear.  “I am too, she said with a smile.”   The other lady scooted over and we began talking about videophones and webcams and I showed them the Z4 from ZVRS and explained my job.  The lady with the hearing aids had to leave and I continued to chat with the other lady.

“I’m Sally Goodman,” she said.  “I like to tell people that I married a good man.”

I laughed. 

“Well, I’m Karen Putz,” I said.  “I usually tell people that I married a putz.”

She let out a big a laugh. 

We talked and found some neat connections between us.  Her husband is hard of hearing and her brother-in-law and several other relatives are deaf and hard of hearing.  Her daughter is an author of several books, and currently working on a non-fiction book.  Her great-grandfather founded the town of Battle Creek, Michigan. 

She asked me if I was born deaf and I explained the deaf gene in my family and how I went from hard of hearing to deaf after a fall while barefoot waterskiing.  She shared her story of being diagnosed with MS twenty years ago and how she worked her way out of a wheelchair and back into great health again.  We exchanged emails and a hug before parting ways.

I’m always amazed at the folks that I cross paths with in daily life– I know these are not just chance encounters, but interactions that are rich with learning and growth. 

Every day, that circle of life just grows bigger and bigger.