More Everyday Blind Things

Often people assume all blind people play music.  I did not help this much when a piano player did not show up for a Sunday school class and the leader of the class who did not know me came over and asked “Will you be willing to play the piano for us this morning?”  “Sure,” I said… 

Sometimes, no matter what a blind person does everyone will assume that because we are blind we don’t know any better.  Some things we do can just be dumb.  For instance, when my child was in pre-school he was supposed to bring some eggs to color.  I forgot it until the last minute and frantically ran to the kitchen to get the dozen eggs I had bought for him to take.  He returned home from preschool upset because he dropped the eggs.  I had forgotten to boil them.  The teacher told him it was okay because his mommy was blind and could not see they were not boiled…

My friend Margaret could hardly walk with severe back pain, yet she struggled to try, and took me one morning to PetSmart to purchase 40 pounds of dog food.  We were standing at the back of her car, me wondering exactly what was already in the trunk I might accidentally put the dog food on top of, and Margaret wondering if she lifted a bag of dog food like that if she might be crippled for life.  A gentleman yelled “Ladies, may I help you with that?”   “No thanks, I can get it,” Margaret answered.  I knew she was just being independent and not wanting to admit we needed help, so I said:  “Sir that would really be nice.”   The man came over and hoisted the bag onto his … wheelchair and rolled it into the trunk! 

As funny as this seemed, I have an idea that the person who helped was as happy as I am when someone asks me for help with something and I really can…

My former husband who is sight-impaired, was dressed to go to the doctor, back pack on his back and yellow Labrador leading the way.  It was early so he decided to go for a walk.  His dog named Winner was a fast walker as Jim had taught her to be, so they picked a stride and chose a path.  Jim had no way of knowing someone had distracted his dog until the dog’s harness suddenly slipped out of Jim’s hand as he took his next step, right into a swimming pool full of people while Winner watched, from the side, probably wagging her tail.  I thought about all the people being in a pool and suddenly seeing a fully clothed man just casually step into their pool.  This story kept me laughing for days to come until…

While at Wrightsville Beach in 2005, as I myself loaded with a back pack, chair,  and a tote across my shoulder, wet beach towel, and my guide dog asleep in the room, I found myself at the bottom of the indoor pool.  I thought I knew the way well enough from the beach to the hotel room without needing any help.  Funny, all the things you think about in those few seconds from touching the water to the pool bottom.  Such things as:  “Oops I’m in the pool!  Unload your shoulders!  How deep is it?  You can’t get to the top if you don’t get that chair off your shoulder!  Unload that stuff before you drown!  Feel the tile down here on the bottom of this pool!  Stand up!  Tread water!"

After unloading my shoulders and standing up, water just over my head, it was my task to hunt and gather all the things that must be either floating on top of the water or lying on the pretty feeling pool tile floor.  After playing hide and seek with the chair, the towel, my tote bag with drowned cell phone inside, I laid each item on the side of the pool while searching for anything else I may have forgotten.  By now I could not tell which side of the pool I had laid things on so I had to play one more hide and seek game to get it all placed together and look for the steps to climb out. Finally out of the pool I went outside and had someone search for my son.  Of course once he knew I was all right  the first thing he said was:  “Can we tell Daddy?"

On the topic of swimming pools because it’s such a good one...

Jonathan, age twelve, had taken a friend, age twelve, to the pool where we always go in the summer.  People at this pool are totally nice but not quite sure what they should do with one blind grandma who is supposed to look after two boys by herself.  They keep their distance no matter how much I have talked to them.  Well, this day it was time for the cab to pick us up for home and sure enough, this blind grandma could not find her boys.  Now, they are both great swimmers and there are life guards at the pool.  These life guards are young college students who are much friendlier than most of the patrons there.  I knew the kids were fine.  Anyway, I began to gather my belongings from the table where we had eaten lunch. 

A lady nearby obviously wanted the table.  “Are you leaving?” she asked me.

“Yes,” very soon,” I said.

She evidently picked up a towel from the back of one of the chairs.

“Is this yours?” she asked.

“What?” I asked.

“Is this your towel?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe it belongs to one of the kids,” she said.

“I wouldn’t know,” I said.

At that she walked over and put the towel right in front of my face almost touching my eyes. 

“This one,” she said, “Is this your kid’s  towel?”

“I have no idea,” I said.

“Well it’s blue.” She said.

“I still don’t know I can’t see it,” I said.

“Where is your dog?” she asked.

I bent over close, looked at my dog, then stood up and shook my head,

“He doesn’t know either,” I said.