Swing Low

I have been a little encouraged by my voice lately. It is still bad, but I think it is better than a few months ago. I never am really sure though because as I have reported here before, as I get used to a limitation, it seems to be less severe, even though it may be unchanged. There just aren’t many objective measures. On the phone Amanda commented that my voice sounded better and I did place a successful drive-thru order.

With this backdrop, a couple weeks ago I got a cold, which is no fun, but it did yield a dramatic (albeit temporary) improvement in my voice.  It was real low, but it was there.  The first morning I was in the kitchen with Kara and I said something.  I sounded like Barry White but it was so strong!  Kara said, "Hey, you have a voice!"  I agreed and chalked it up to the cold and reflexively went back to my study.  Then it hit me: I can be heard!  I was kind of like a kid on Christmas morning. I mean, I can be heard every day but this was different; I had a little power! As I considered how to spend my vocal fortune, I couldn’t help but do something a little sappy: I went back to the kitchen and told Kara that I loved her.  She thought it was sappy too.

Next I called my friend who does not hear well.  We haven't spoken for months because it is just too hard to communicate.  He could hear me now; it was so awesome.  We talked about his health and made lunch plans.

Next I called parents, mostly to show off.  Speaking was still a little difficult, but I was getting way better results for the effort.  I was humming and stuff all day long. 

The cold is gone, thank goodness, and the deep bass voice too, but it was nice while it lasted!

Good and Bad

The Bad: I had a fall last week. I was at the mall with my parents and I had left them in search of a restroom. The mall was essentially empty and I guess I didn’t quite lift my right foot enough to shuffle over the polished floor. Stick. Stumble. It wasn't pretty; I think I resembled an octopus falling out of a tree.  Some kiosk guys did see it, and asked if I was OK. I was fine. The good thing is that I didn’t injure myself and although I did feel a twinge in my bad arm, it doesn’t appear to have set me back at all.

The Good: Maybe, just maybe, the ol’ voice is starting a gradual improvement. Last night at FHE I sang about 80% of the opening song. And maybe 30% of the closing. Now, I didn’t sing well, and my range is still less than an octave, and really bad, but it was better than a year ago. It is still a pain though. And like a lot of things, I’m never sure if it is really an improvement or I am getting used to it and learning “work arounds” so it seems better. I’ll keep working it.