[Home-on-the-range] finding your inner courage

[Dianne Hemphill]

Hello federationists, this month's Braille Monitor is, again, worth reading and pondering over. Several of the articles  cover the issue of being perceived as "courageous  just because we go about our daily lives in a confident and independent manner. Rather than finding this an insult, we might recall those days when we were scared out of our minds and the inner courage and kind but firm encouragement we might have received in order to regain our very lives, so to speak...These reflections of those we frequently place in a category of the independent, always  capable, blind person, likely had as many fearful days, weeks, and sometimes years as you or I may have had. I recall many times that I was caught off-guard by someone coming up to me and saying how brave I was...this was irritating  because they assumed, perhaps, that I should be more timid, shy and needy of help.  These stories remind me, and perhaps you, as well, of how we got where we are today and the many challenges that we faced and how we sometimes did well in our pursuits of "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness" and how we, sometimes missed the mark by a mile...People are always comparing their perceived   capabilities  to yours should they find themselves suddenly blind or losing their  sight. They may assume we got to where we are now magically rather than the daily work we put in to get to where we are now. This is a good reminder for us to reach out to others finding themselves in a  state of vision loss and fearing the future. As federationists, I believe that it is our obligation, and greatest gift, to help others find their road to independence and, in the process find a fulfilling "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". What are your stories of meeting challenges? What we say, and more importantly  what we do, can really change lives for the better. Be courageous   and purposely help change what it means to be blind. Dianne