Hearing

It really helps to hear right.  I was put on hold this morning and the organization is responsible for an environmental reserve.  I heard “where we protect threatened staff and animal species.”  I listened again.  It was “threatened plants and animal species.”
They say that when one sense goes, others tend to become better in an attempt to make up for it.  I depend on hearing more than ever before.  It does not mean though I hear perfectly first time every time though. 
I do now tend to spend more time with an ear out listening.  That is figuratively of course, not literal.  I don’t hold an ear in my hand pointing it in various directions to see what I pick up.  That sort of thing may work in Toy Story, but although I have never tried it, I have a feeling it would not work for me.
Sometimes Merril says something and for a while I have a really weird picture in my mind.  Then after enquiry I find out what she really said.  It is still totally weird.  No.  It makes sense and it is in context.
What I find can happen is that I may be sharing a thought and then I go on to another thought.  I say something.  The listener is still relating to the previous thought and tries to fit what was said within that context.  I find that really makes for some out there concepts.
Merril has a relation Scott and her real estate agent was Scott.  More than once I was thinking relation Scott and having a real hard time reconciling what was said with him.  Turned out it was real estate Scott.  In the end we had to designate if we were referring to relation Scott or Real Estate Scott.
We have had to stipulate what we are referring to when we talk about our shed.  We have three – sort of.  There is table tennis shed, tools shed and garden shed.  The table tennis shed is “the shed” while the tools shed is “mini me” and the garden shed is “the garden shed.”  If we do not make it clear at the start then the picture in our minds can be totally wrong and we are trying to solve something that does not exit.
I remember doing this with dad.  We had a major project we were going to undertake.  I thought we had the same picture.  Turned out it was totally different and it was only when we discussed it further we found out we were not on the same page.  That was corrected and we achieved what needed doing.
I guess that is one of the reasons I try to repeat back an instruction said to me.  It soon becomes clear if I have heard right or not.  If I suddenly try to cling to the roof the person may have said bring the proof.  It may be a little like a cartoon I put on recently where the wife says “I think you need a hearing test” and the husband replied “why on earth would I need a hairy chest?”
To me, that sort of thing leads to all sorts of amusement but as long as we end up on the same page when we need to be, I am happy.