Sound Advice by Ruth D. Bernstein
On Valentine's Day I write about sharing happiness and love when you have a hearing loss. In 2023 I created an acrostic for my post Valentine's Day Tips for Better Living with Hearing loss. In 2024 I asked people to advocate for themselves in Give the Gift of Hearing Access this Valentine's Day.
My Valentine's gift for you this year is sharing some quotes that guide my daily life as an advocate for people with hearing loss. I hope the quotes are as helpful to you as they are to me
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
— Anne Lamott
Turning off or unplugging our phones, tablets, computers and TVs can help get rid of the gremlins that are messing them up. Unplugging ourselves by taking a walk, exercising, doing yoga or taking a power nap can recharge our creativity and our bodies.
“Failure is success in progress.'' — Albert Einstein
Although we are not always successful as advocates, each step forward is progress in the right direction.
“The time is always right to do the right thing.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
When you are in a situation that requires advocacy, go ahead and do it. The time is always right for our needs to be heard.
“Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water!”
— Eleanor Roosevelt
I’m amazed at what I accomplish when I am in advocacy hot water. Faced with "we don't do that,” sharing statistics on the prevalence of hearing loss is usually enough to enlist the help that is needed.
"Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness; it's a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and to learn something new." — Barack Obama
People with hearing loss have trouble asking for help. It reveals a weakness in themselves they really don't want to share. Having the courage to do that benefits us and our whole community.
“The light you seek is in your own candle.“ — Unknown
I've learned to trust myself. Many decades of advocacy have given me the experience of being able to share what our community needs to enjoy our lives.
“The beginning of our happiness lies in the understanding that life without wonder is not worth living.” — Abraham Joshua Heschel
I am in awe of the progress that continues to be made in the hearing loss field since I got my first hearing aids in 1960. Every day there is a new device or method that makes life easier: smaller hearing aids, cochlear implants, hearing accessible cell phones, captioning apps and phones that caption conversations are just a few of the additions. New technology and methodology is wonderful!
I would love to hear about the quotes that help you cope with your lives.
Happy Valentine's❤️Day!
Ruth D. Bernstein Hearing Access Ambassador