By Mia Hanuska
I don’t wear green on Saint Patrick’s Day. Well, it depends on what you count as “wearing” green. Back in elementary school, I discovered that even green accessories can exempt you from the mandatory not-wearing-green-pinching young children participate in. Although green was one of my favorite colors at the time, I found myself lacking it throughout my wardrobe, which became a problem come Saint Patty’s day. Then one year, I had a revelation: my hearing aid is green. Hearing aids = “accessories”. Therefore, wearing my hearing aid = wearing green. Little Mia had a field day with this amazing idea.
Even once my clothing colors expanded to include the natural color, I continued to purposefully wear no green in any part of my outfit—except, of course, my hearing aid. When I would go to the audiologist to pick out a new model, I had the option to pick a new color. But I was too dedicated to the bit. I had a green hearing aid for nine years—out of nine and a half. This year will be my first Saint Patrick’s Day without a green receiver (my earmold still happily has neon green swirled within the colors), and to be honest, I miss it. I was convinced to switch to a blue receiver with my new hearing aid this year, and my classic bit just won’t hit the same anymore.
Yet, I’ll continue to purchase my earmold in green, and maybe in another three years when I get a new hearing aid, I’ll get it back in green again. I have a feeling I’ll miss siking my peers out by making them think they can pinch me when really, I wear green every day. Do I buy the green hearing aid just for one day of the year that doesn’t really impact me much? Yes. Will I continue this for as many years as they offer me a green hearing aid? Yes. Is it a funny joke? Probably not, but clearly I’m in too deep for this to stop. At this point, it’s just going to continue forever. And you know what? I’m not mad about that. My green hearing aid is not just my Saint Patrick’s Day lucky charm; it’s my signature colorful accessory.