Ah, the unheard joys of hearing loss

Of all the words in the dictionary, the one word heard in our condo the most is “What?”

Usually, it’s my wife asking me a question and I have no idea what she is saying, so I smiled when I read the recent commentary on the pleasures of life with hearing loss in the senior years ( “When the challenges of growing old are joys,” Oct. 17).

My wife usually gets upset when she asks me, “What are your plans for the day?” and I answer, “I have no idea where your pans are.” I didn’t make that up. It is what I hear — or at least think I hear. Her next question is, “Are your hearing aids in?” and I usually answer, “Yes, but I don’t understand what you are saying.”

My hearing problems are from flying helicopters in the U.S. Army for six years. I sometimes point to my ears and shake my head at par