Long Ago...
| STORY TIME |
People sometimes ask me how I came up with the idea for inventing a new
kind of ear plug. I have always been a little hesitant about telling the story,
only because some parts are a little unusual. However, some friends have
encouraged me to share it, so here's how it goes.
Back in 1971, on a beautiful summer morning, I lay sleeping in the old farm-
house where I lived. All of my life I had been a sound sleeper, but that was
about to change. The owners of the house had come from the city that day,
with the intention of cleaning out the third story attic. Now I should mention
that this was a serious attic with a large swinging door straight off the east
end of the house. And I guess in the spirit of cleaning the attic, for whatever
reason, the owners decided to open the attic door and push out the gigantic
oak dresser that had been stored there. Well it just so happened that my bed-
room window was directly beneath their good intentions. When the dresser
hit the ground just outside my open window, where I lay sleeping, it did so
with such an explosive force and sound that it permanently altered my gift
for sleeping soundly. That was 35 years ago, and to this day, I still need to
use ear plugs every night for sleeping, because even the slightest noise
will wake me up.
So ok, as if dressers falling from the sky aren't enough to deal with. Now I
had to deal with ear plugs! And if you're like me and lots of other folks, you
know how this part of the story goes. Over the years I tried most of the dif-
ferent types with little or no success. The foam ones always hurt my ear
canals, which I didn't like. The rubber types hurt too and fell out when I rolled
over in my sleep. Silicone ear plugs were the closest thing to what could be
called an acceptable ear plug, but unfortunately they quickly lost their sticki-
ness, and then, failed to seal well. You know how it goes. You wake up in the
middle of the night from some noise, because one or both of your silicone
ear plugs have come loose or fallen out. Once you've found them again, you
lay there in the dark trying to get them to stay in, but they never will because
they've lost their stickiness. And besides, what is all that sticky stuff? I didn't
like the fact that I was absorbing it through my skin on a daily basis. I also
tried the wax/cotton ones that were available, but their wax component felt
slippery and greasy, which didn't feel right either. It seemed to me that the
whole ear plug scene was seriously missing what could be called a good ear
plug. And since none of them worked very well or lasted very long, I always
felt like I was wasting my money on products that performed poorly. But
what can one do when faced with such a situation? Usually nothing, which is
just what I did.
The years rolled by and the ear plugs continued to fall out, and now it was
1989. At the time I was living in northern California in a little cabin on the
edge of the woods. I was manager of a small health food store and life was
going along pretty good (except for the ear plugs). But much like that day
back in 1971, my life was about to change again. It was another beautiful day
as I sat playing my guitar, when something bit me on the leg. As it turned
out, I had been bitten by a tick and quickly became very sick. Because of
how I felt, I was unable to continue work and had to take leave of my job.
This sudden turn of health and loss of job left me wondering what to do next.
I knew the question, but I didn't have the answer.
So one day, I decided to go out into nature where it was quiet. I thought that
if I asked my question and listened, I just might here some answers. So that's
what I did. Taking my time, I hiked up into the forest one morning and found
a soft bed of leaves to sit on. I closed my eyes, got comfortable, and when it
felt right, I asked the question,"What should I do now to earn a living?" Here
is where the story gets a little unusual. Less than sixty seconds had passed,
when an incredibly loud voice in my head shouted the words" EAR PLUGS ".
No kidding. It was so loud that my whole body flinched and I had to catch
myself to keep from falling over sideways. My immediate response was one
of shock, mainly from the extreme internal volume of the answer, ( I mean it
was loud ! ), and second, by the unusual subject matter itself. I guess a part
of me was expecting answers that would come in whispers that floated down
through the trees. Not a loud straightforward shout ! Nevertheless, there was
no denying that I had received an answer, loud and clear.
I spent the next few weeks contemplating what this message "EAR PLUGS"
could possibly mean. Prior to this, (even though I was greatly disappointed
with all the ear plugs I had ever used), it had never occurred to me, that I
myself, could invent the better ear plug that I had always wanted. The one
we all had long deserved. And gradually that thought developed into a deep
desire, which in turn became a great search and discovery, for which I was
granted a patent. And that's how it all started. Over the next several months,
I was able to discover a combination of ingredients, that for some, makes a
better ear plug, and for others, an interesting story.
Joseph...
kind of ear plug. I have always been a little hesitant about telling the story,
only because some parts are a little unusual. However, some friends have
encouraged me to share it, so here's how it goes.
Back in 1971, on a beautiful summer morning, I lay sleeping in the old farm-
house where I lived. All of my life I had been a sound sleeper, but that was
about to change. The owners of the house had come from the city that day,
with the intention of cleaning out the third story attic. Now I should mention
that this was a serious attic with a large swinging door straight off the east
end of the house. And I guess in the spirit of cleaning the attic, for whatever
reason, the owners decided to open the attic door and push out the gigantic
oak dresser that had been stored there. Well it just so happened that my bed-
room window was directly beneath their good intentions. When the dresser
hit the ground just outside my open window, where I lay sleeping, it did so
with such an explosive force and sound that it permanently altered my gift
for sleeping soundly. That was 35 years ago, and to this day, I still need to
use ear plugs every night for sleeping, because even the slightest noise
will wake me up.
So ok, as if dressers falling from the sky aren't enough to deal with. Now I
had to deal with ear plugs! And if you're like me and lots of other folks, you
know how this part of the story goes. Over the years I tried most of the dif-
ferent types with little or no success. The foam ones always hurt my ear
canals, which I didn't like. The rubber types hurt too and fell out when I rolled
over in my sleep. Silicone ear plugs were the closest thing to what could be
called an acceptable ear plug, but unfortunately they quickly lost their sticki-
ness, and then, failed to seal well. You know how it goes. You wake up in the
middle of the night from some noise, because one or both of your silicone
ear plugs have come loose or fallen out. Once you've found them again, you
lay there in the dark trying to get them to stay in, but they never will because
they've lost their stickiness. And besides, what is all that sticky stuff? I didn't
like the fact that I was absorbing it through my skin on a daily basis. I also
tried the wax/cotton ones that were available, but their wax component felt
slippery and greasy, which didn't feel right either. It seemed to me that the
whole ear plug scene was seriously missing what could be called a good ear
plug. And since none of them worked very well or lasted very long, I always
felt like I was wasting my money on products that performed poorly. But
what can one do when faced with such a situation? Usually nothing, which is
just what I did.
The years rolled by and the ear plugs continued to fall out, and now it was
1989. At the time I was living in northern California in a little cabin on the
edge of the woods. I was manager of a small health food store and life was
going along pretty good (except for the ear plugs). But much like that day
back in 1971, my life was about to change again. It was another beautiful day
as I sat playing my guitar, when something bit me on the leg. As it turned
out, I had been bitten by a tick and quickly became very sick. Because of
how I felt, I was unable to continue work and had to take leave of my job.
This sudden turn of health and loss of job left me wondering what to do next.
I knew the question, but I didn't have the answer.
So one day, I decided to go out into nature where it was quiet. I thought that
if I asked my question and listened, I just might here some answers. So that's
what I did. Taking my time, I hiked up into the forest one morning and found
a soft bed of leaves to sit on. I closed my eyes, got comfortable, and when it
felt right, I asked the question,"What should I do now to earn a living?" Here
is where the story gets a little unusual. Less than sixty seconds had passed,
when an incredibly loud voice in my head shouted the words" EAR PLUGS ".
No kidding. It was so loud that my whole body flinched and I had to catch
myself to keep from falling over sideways. My immediate response was one
of shock, mainly from the extreme internal volume of the answer, ( I mean it
was loud ! ), and second, by the unusual subject matter itself. I guess a part
of me was expecting answers that would come in whispers that floated down
through the trees. Not a loud straightforward shout ! Nevertheless, there was
no denying that I had received an answer, loud and clear.
I spent the next few weeks contemplating what this message "EAR PLUGS"
could possibly mean. Prior to this, (even though I was greatly disappointed
with all the ear plugs I had ever used), it had never occurred to me, that I
myself, could invent the better ear plug that I had always wanted. The one
we all had long deserved. And gradually that thought developed into a deep
desire, which in turn became a great search and discovery, for which I was
granted a patent. And that's how it all started. Over the next several months,
I was able to discover a combination of ingredients, that for some, makes a
better ear plug, and for others, an interesting story.
Joseph...
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