And now, here's a short excerpt from the first chapter of my book! Enjoy it!
“I have always thought it would be a blessing if each person could be blind and deaf for a few days during his early adult life. Darkness would make him appreciate sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.” Helen Keller
I sit. I stare. I wait. I’m 18, and I can’t hear. Might as well tell it right from the start, right? I lost my hearing when I was 10. Loud sounds and sensitive ears did not mix very well - and really don’t get along.
So now I can’t hear anything. It’s hard, to say the least. I can’t even tell you how humiliating it is to have people look at you funny just because you can’t hear what they’re saying to you.
It’s not like I choose to ignore them. I really don’t. Well, some people I choose to ignore, but that’s besides the point. Though, some people seem to think that and I feel bad. I wish I could open my ears and just hear what they have to say. I wish that more than anything.
When it first happened, I was angry. Not to mention the fact that I was young and I didn’t understand. I screamed at God, wondering why he was doing it to me! Why me? Why couldn’t it have happened to someone else? Someone who was strong and who could take it better?
About the time I was sixteen, I began to understand a little better. I was blaming God for something, when I should have been trying to understand. And that was when I started. Instead of asking why me, I started asking “Why not me”? Why am I so important that God would pick me to be deaf? I realized that he chose me out of all the people in the world. And why?
He must’ve thought that I, Shaelyn Renay Hartford, could take what he’s given me and use it for good. I’ve made a lot of friends through being deaf. People, although the may stare, are instantly drawn to me. Mostly because I can read lips. And talk. So that makes it easier to communicate with people. It’s amazing to watch peoples’ mouths move and know what they are saying. Because I didn’t lose my hearing until I was ten, I can talk normally. Most people can’t even really tell that I’m deaf.
I can’t really explain what it’s like to be deaf. It just...is. I can’t hear. Most people can. The end.
So now I can’t hear anything. It’s hard, to say the least. I can’t even tell you how humiliating it is to have people look at you funny just because you can’t hear what they’re saying to you.
It’s not like I choose to ignore them. I really don’t. Well, some people I choose to ignore, but that’s besides the point. Though, some people seem to think that and I feel bad. I wish I could open my ears and just hear what they have to say. I wish that more than anything.
When it first happened, I was angry. Not to mention the fact that I was young and I didn’t understand. I screamed at God, wondering why he was doing it to me! Why me? Why couldn’t it have happened to someone else? Someone who was strong and who could take it better?
About the time I was sixteen, I began to understand a little better. I was blaming God for something, when I should have been trying to understand. And that was when I started. Instead of asking why me, I started asking “Why not me”? Why am I so important that God would pick me to be deaf? I realized that he chose me out of all the people in the world. And why?
He must’ve thought that I, Shaelyn Renay Hartford, could take what he’s given me and use it for good. I’ve made a lot of friends through being deaf. People, although the may stare, are instantly drawn to me. Mostly because I can read lips. And talk. So that makes it easier to communicate with people. It’s amazing to watch peoples’ mouths move and know what they are saying. Because I didn’t lose my hearing until I was ten, I can talk normally. Most people can’t even really tell that I’m deaf.
I can’t really explain what it’s like to be deaf. It just...is. I can’t hear. Most people can. The end.
Typed up thus far: 15,701
Approximate word count in notebook: 50,000
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