The Hearing Aid: 8 days

I don’t know if any of you noticed in yesterday’s post, but Ricki’s hearing aid had been out of use for about 10 days. For a few days we had not been using it because the school aid complained that Ricki was taking it off a lot, and we were afraid it would get lost. So I also choose that she would not wear it during my vacation. Since she would be staying at several places throughout the day, the risk of it getting misplaced was just too great. So I carefully placed it by the telephone, in its case, sure that on my return, I would immediately make a star chart with prizes for wearing it regularly.
Then, Sunday morning, an hour before my trip, I noticed that it was missing.

My heart sank. This tiny piece of electronics costs about $3,000. And while she CAN get by without it short term, she needs it long term: to hear better and more clearly in school, for language improvement, and to save my sanity (since without the aid she puts her tapes at TOP volume). [Try listening to some idiotic children’s tape at top volume ten times in a row, and see if you are not a candidate for the “funny farm”.] However, $3,000 is about a tenth of our yearly income. The original aid was paid in part by the health department, but I quickly checked and learned that they do not pay for replacements every year. The good news was that unless Ricki tossed it out the window (not impossible, but improbable), it was somewhere in the house. Each phone call home during the conference started with my query: “Did you find the hearing aid?” Answers were negative.
On my arrival home, I unpacked, and the next day started the “Clean the house thoroughly and FIND that aide!” campaign. On Thursday I promised 100 shekel (about $30) to charity if I would find it. No luck. Friday I had no time to look. Then Sunday, I promised a double amount (pointing out to my husband that this was only 2% of the cost of a new one). But this time I said “Omar Rebbi Binyamin” ( a special prayer for finding lost objects), and I found it [“EUREKA!!!!!”] behind some books on one of my 50-some bookshelves.

The aid had been missing for a total of eight days. I was thinking about starting the process to get a new one, afraid that Ricki had chucked the old one out the window. (Once, about 6 years ago, when definitely old enough to know better, she had cast a piece of silver outside to the sidewalk below. I am sure the finder was amazed that someone had thrown it out….) We see that monetary loss can cause a lot of action and concern..The question is, as I even one tenth as worried about my weight? My health? My Midot (personality)? I wish I could answer positively…..