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Seeking Assist

I have a progressive hearing loss from my left ear which I am trying to stall best I can. Apart of the all the aggravations bad hearing brings in its wake, I also have some struggles with balance when I walk. Tripping on flat surface is very common for me and it alarms family when it happens once too often. The fact that I love hiking gets me into situations where such imperfect balance can reduce speed and also increase accident hazards. Recently while on a hike, we were trying to find the best way to cross a small creek. If balance had not been an issue this would be an easy body of water to ford. But with me in the mix, it took a good ten minutes to make sure I got it right and there would be no missteps. 

Watching a young man do the same crossing effortlessly using his trekking poles for assist, made us wonder why we don't do what obviously makes sense. Why had we not invested in these before we wondered. The problem was remedied quickly and our next hike felt like a breeze in terms of maintaining balance and stability on uneven terrain. The trekking poles in question were very low-cost and did not feature in any best list but it improved my experience with one of my favorite things to do immeasurably.  The experience made me think of the simple things we can do to solve aggravating yet unsolvable issues in our lives. Sometimes the solution is rather simple and it has been staring you in the face for years Maybe things click in the brain when the person decides to embrace their "problem" as part of who they are.   

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