May, 2004:
unplugged

I'm well aware of the importance of earplugs, though I can't say that I use them with the frequency that I should - or should have - I'm hardly in a situation anymore where plugging my ears is called for.

This particular single earplug (its mate wasn't in the bag) was probably used for swimming, not because of noise. I don't recall very precisely, but it's a good guess that as a child I developed ear infections as a result of swimming, and earplugs were recommended as a way of perhaps alleviating that problem.

It seems rather clear that I wouldn't have saved this plug with any intention of ever using it again - it was probably an outmoded model even thirty years ago. And I doubt that long ago I had any particular appreciation for its aesthetic value, though I admit that it's much more interesting to look at than modern earplugs. That being the case, my guess is that I simply didn't know that I didn't throw this out.