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.