I know why the deaf bird sings

I am a singer, from a family of singers. At home we sang while we washed dishes, while we drove in the car, while we worked in the yard, with or without the accompaniement of the radio. My mother had a beautiful voice and I inherited a lesser version. I sang in church, in Glee Club and later in an adult choir.

I have not stopped singing since I went deaf. I haven't been able to figure out why, really, and have puzzled over it. Emotionally, it doesn't feel the same. I can't hear a thing, even the vibrations of my own voice. So why do I bother?

Yesterday I was driving along and singing "Dona Nobis Pacem", a song I soloed in my seventh grade Glee Club Christmas Concert which was a terror I shall never forget. And suddenly I realized just how physically good it feels, in the chest, in the diaphram. Singing, I had never noticed as a hearing person, feels physically wonderful. Notice it the next time you're belting out "Delilah" in the shower.

ronnie