Taken for granted

Doctor:

"If this next lot of speech therapy has no positive effect, we can inject your vocal cords with a Botox solution. This will in effect 'put your vocal cords to sleep'. If we do this, you probably won't be able to cough, clear your throat or talk for about three months".

Me: 

"Okay....*blank look on my face*"

This latest revelation with my speech therapy got me thinking about how I would handle not talking for three months straight. How do you live without something that you take for granted?

Would I have to walk around with a pen and paper all the time?

Would I become a hermit and not have any social contact for three months?

How could I even answer my phone for that period of time.

How do you go to explain to someone that you didn't say 'hello'...not because you're an arse, but because you literally have no voice?

Or how would I go about the everyday situations where you need a voice, like asking for assistance in a shop?

Over the last year, I noticed the impact with not have much of a voice already. Currently my voice can be best described as a husky whisper. Some days are better than others, but on the whole, it sucks!

I can barely talk on the phone at all; it's difficult for people to hear me even when standing close, especially if I'm in a noisy environment like a shopping center; and having to explain what's wrong with my voice to people who don't already know.

I understand that there are people living in the world that have more sever problems than this, and they possibly find a way to cope, but I have only my experiences to work from. I was never one to actually like my own voice, not many people probably do, but I do miss it. I have always had a good sense of humor and have been told that I possess a rather quick wit...albeit on the dirty side most of the time. Though making people laugh is something I find great pleasure in. In a world where we worry about the smallest things, it feels really good to make someone forget about their troubles for even just a split second and to see them enjoy a good old fashion belly laugh.

As my sense of humor is a core to my personality; what if that is taken away? (not the sense of humor, but the ability to vocalize that humor)

My mind races at a hundred miles an hour, and humor is a natural outlet for me to portray any and all funny thoughts or ideas I have. If that goes, even for only three months, what happens?

I doubt I would lose my sense of humor, but without an outlet, I'm not sure if my personality would change?

At the end of the day there is no sense worrying about it until it does actually happen, so this Blog is just my brain working overtime as usual trying to dissect the information I have been given. 

So question yourself reader...

How would you cope with losing something you take for granted?

and

What are you taking for granted in this life?