<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div><div><br>On Dec 19, 2013, at 7:47 PM, Kevin Pearl <<a href="mailto:kvnprl@twc.com">kvnprl@twc.com</a>> Positive cwrote:Bravo! I love these <br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="margin: 0px; position: relative; "><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); ">Why I love using a cane...</span></h3><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6429144852237553275" itemprop="description articleBody" style="width: 426px; position: relative; "><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6429144852237553275" itemprop="description articleBody" style="width: 426px; position: relative; "><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>1. <b>I can window shop!</b> I know this sounds crazy but since I started using a cane my shopping experience comments from capable independent confident one people it's so uplifting. I am a guy dog user for most of my about life, and will continue to be but I still think but what they have said here is great has gotten better! My first "Ah hA" experience came when I was in New York City, with my Master's cohort (Jennifer, Rob & Jim). We were walking down Saks Fifth Avenue, all of us with canes in hand and I was peering in all the windows full of Louis Vuitton's and Jimmy Choo's, needless to say I was in heaven. As I walked down my favorite street, in my favorite city in the whole world it all hit me...THIS is why I use a cane, THIS is why the training under a blindfold is important because now I could use what little vision I have to look at things I actually want to look at. No more staring at sidewalk cracks or staring at the ground I could use my can for that and my vision to look at AWESOME STUFF!!!<br></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 4px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; position: relative; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; "><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rquXXPtfWas/UrM-ZALaajI/AAAAAAAAP7Y/IcOWIr4IaQo/s1600/40096_426551987402_158133692402_4810623_4042319_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-decoration: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rquXXPtfWas/UrM-ZALaajI/AAAAAAAAP7Y/IcOWIr4IaQo/s400/40096_426551987402_158133692402_4810623_4042319_n.jpg" width="300" style="border: 1px solid transparent; position: relative; padding: 8px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; "></font></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">New York City 2008: Deja Powell, Rob Hobson, Jennifer Kennedy & Jim Vanhorn</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>2. <b>People don't think I'm dumb.</b> While growing up, it always confused people why I couldn't read a menu or show time listings or price tags...people probably though I simply didn't know how to read. This bothered me tremendously, I hated trying to explain this to people and often felt embarrassed and awkward. Now that I use my cane, most people know I'm blind and when I ask someone to read the menu to me, it's not confusing to me or anyone else. <br><br>3. <b>People stare at me. </b>Okay, I know this is what most blind people HATE most about using a cane, but I've learned to change my thought process in this matter (with a lot of self talk and work on self-confidence). I take the opportunity now to try to dress my best, hold my head up high, smile and look like I'm ready to take on the world (even if I have to fake it some days). I know imagine people are staring because I'm an enjoyable person to look at, not because of my cane. No matter people's reasons for staring, I have changed MY thought process and now when people stare, I see it as the looking at me as a strong, confident, fashionable, bright woman who is comfortable in her own skin (again, fake it until you make it if you need to...I do some days).<br><br></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 4px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; position: relative; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; "><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7rdV0fsusM8/UrM-ptT0p4I/AAAAAAAAP7g/YyyPK7efy5M/s1600/The+Maskerade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-decoration: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7rdV0fsusM8/UrM-ptT0p4I/AAAAAAAAP7g/YyyPK7efy5M/s320/The+Maskerade.jpg" width="320" style="border: 1px solid transparent; position: relative; padding: 8px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; "></font></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mardi Gras 2007: Tina B., Daniel A., Jennifer K., Serena O., Rob H., Deja P., Lucas A.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">4. <b>I get to meet some great people. </b>Since I've started to use a cane, I've met some of the most interesting people! It's commonly known that people tend to talk to blind people with dogs more often, but I have met some pretty great people because of my cane. It seems like nearly every time I'm out and about, I meet at least one new person who I have an interesting conversation with. People ask me about my cane and that often leads to interesting conversations. I've met all sorts of people from a world-renowned bug expert (I don't know the term for it) to a photographer that took pictures of Marilyn Monroe. I love that people are curious and because they are I learn lots of new things!</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="padding: 4px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; position: relative; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; "><tbody><tr><td><br></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>5. I get to relate to people who need it. </b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); ">Just the other day I went to Walmart for some last minute Christmas shopping. While I was in the store I was stopped by three different people, one who was blind himself and didn't know how he was going to "survive", a women whose husband refuses to leave their house because he's now lost all of his sight and a little boy who has a blind girl in his class and didn't know how to talk to or play with her. My husband called to see if I needed to be picked up, after all it had been THREE HOURS. Needless to say, I didn't get a whole lot of shopping done but I couldn't help but feel I was supposed to meet those people and without my cane in hand, they would have never known I'm blind. (Now I want to clarify, it's NOT our individual jobs to change the whole world’s attitudes about blindness, we don't always have to stop and talk to people for a long time or educate them thoroughly on blindness, but you just may be the somebody someone needs to talk to that day). </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>I once was told, by a pretty dang hip, fashionable blind teenage girl that it’s "Impossible" for a blind person to be attractive and fashionable AND carry a cane. Well I accepted that young ladies challenge and I DO believe it IS possible.<br><br>Using a cane is tough, it took me 23 years to catch onto the idea, but these few PROS might help you better understand what is meant when people tell you that a cane can bring independence and confidence, in a very real way.<br><br>What's your favorite reason for using a cane?<br></span><div style="clear: both; "></div></div><div><br></div><div>The above is from the SLATE AND STYLISH Blog at:</div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueUI'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><a href="http://slateandstylish.blogspot.com/2013/12/five-reasons-i-love-using-cane.html?m=1">http://slateandstylish.blogspot.com/2013/12/five-reasons-i-love-using-cane.html?m=1</a></span></div><div class="post-footer" style="line-height: 1.6; margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>Nfbk mailing list</span><br><span><a href="mailto:Nfbk@nfbnet.org">Nfbk@nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbk_nfbnet.org">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbk_nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Nfbk:</span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbk_nfbnet.org/cindy.smith8109%40aol.com">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbk_nfbnet.org/cindy.smith8109%40aol.com</a></span></div></blockquote></body></html>