But what really sent me to audiologist Kristi Rockefeller was an interview with a subject whose voice was so soft I could barely make out the words. Nor those of the spouse making pithy, quotable comments from across the room.

"A bow to aging," you cluck. "Embracing sound," I counter.

"Ashamed to be seen wearing them?" you continue.

"No more than donning my glasses," I answer.

Digitally programmed, they make me a believer in the age of technology.

(And, I've found, I'm in the best of company in embracing them.)

I will admit I don't wear them every day. They aren't perfect. There are adjustments to make. They take getting used to. And, yes, while some are hidden, mine are not. However, it is worth it when hearing is critical. It was worth it when I heard every vowel and consonant out of Editor Alan English's mouth during a recent staff meeting.

And, I discovered, you can turn 'em off.

One afternoon, the noise level in the newsroom was so loud, it obliterated the concentration I craved. (That rarely happens; I relish the newsroom's physicality -- including its noise.)

With the turn of two buttons, silence.

It was peaceful.

But, most often, they are on.

And, you can speak softly if you want.

I can hear you.

By Maggie Martin
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060122/LIVING/601200376/1004