When I was younger I used to want to hide the fact that I was deaf. I wanted to hide the huge battery pack I had to have around my waist, I wanted to hide the huge chord that came out from under my hair, and I wanted to just be like everyone else. At the time though I was just a kid, standing out wasn’t “cool”. It was actually terrifying having kids point, stare, laugh, and do all those mean things little kids do. As I got older, I started to WANT to stand out. I wanted people to know all about it and how awesome it is. It took a lot of confidence and support from my family and friends to get to this point. I mean they are the ones that never treated me differently, my older cousins would tease me as equally as my other cousin. They never took it easy on me. I will always be thankful for that. Sometimes we can get caught up  in highlighting the struggles we endure. Instead I am going to highlight the 5 reasons why being deaf is actually a blessing.

1.Best night sleep

At night I don’t usually sleep with my cochlear on, which is a common question I get asked. This is because it usually comes off during sleep, drains the battery, and I don’t want an accident that would end up breaking it. Because I take it off, means I hear nothing. Not a thing. ITS AMAZING. I sleep right through thunderstorms! When the cochlear is off, I cannot hear a alarm clock. So, I have an alarm clock that vibrates my bed in the morning. A free morning massage… heck yes.

2.Selective hearing

Over the years I have learned I have unintentional selective hearing. In school this a blessing and a curse. I have had so many times when I will ask a question that someone else had just asked, and then I’ll get the usual “I just said that”. That part isn’t fun but, it comes in handy when people are gossiping.  This is awesome great because I don’t have to listen to the crap and just do my own thing. I can easily tune out the noise around me whenever I want. It’s actually easier to tune people out than it is for me to actually try to listen and pay attention.

3.My own community

Being deaf has opened me up to a whole new culture. Another language that I find so beautiful. I have been a part of the community in my town with some incredible humans. People with such amazing large hearts. The teachers who taught me how to read lips, my first friend who also knew sign language, and my first hard of hearing field trip. let me tell you those field trips were always so much fun!

4.Excuse for me to work harder

I have always tried to never let my disability to define me. I am a big believer in showing up and working hard. Over the years I have hustled my butt off to make my parent’s proud. I don’t want them to have to worry about me when I go off to college or in life. I know it wasn’t planned that my parents would have not one but TWO deaf children. Ever since I remember seeing my mom crying on the porch overwhelmed by it all, I wanted her to never have to go through that again. Next time my mom cries I want it to be because she is proud and not a bit worried.

5.Relationship with my brother

Like all siblings we have our moments. The days where we just slam doors and call each other stupid. I mean who doesn’t haha. This is different though, Isaac and I have been a duo since day one. The one and only person who knows exactly what it’s like. From appointments at the hospital and the annoying yearly hearing tests. All the times we wish we were just “normal” to understanding that we need to be more alert than normal when driving a car. He is also my inspiration to be a better person, it’s almost like he’s always testing me.