[stylist] Please Read My Live Well Column

Sun Oct 16 22:27:30 UTC 2011

Bridget,
Again, an effective blog. I wonder how many know this is a meet the blind
month.
Yes, we should all be active in the community. Consider for a moment, an
elderly woman who is not only severely limited with visual perception, who
has had the cochlea removed from her left ear due to Menieres syndrome, thus
had very limited hearing and no directionality to the hearing left, and no
balance, and peripheral neuropathy an difficulty walking due to arthritis,
Can one still be an activist? Yes, if she picks and chooses carefully.
Communicating through the computer and e-mail, taking classes, small enough
and structured well so that there is no extraneous noise, using an FM on her
hearing aid, and getting over sensitivities enough that all those she does
meet in her home, or at support groups, or at poetry events  are ways.
People learn slowly what they can do to be supportive, but not overbearing.
Almost every member of my poetry group has been to my house to see and hear
the miracle of a screen reader, or to know how I keep up with Newsweek, the
Atlantic Monthly, The Writer's Magazine, cook and bake, and read my poetry,
written only a little about being blind or otherwise having problems.
I am going to enclose a poem I wrote when I was diagnosed with Menieres
Syndrome. I get rid of most worries or symptoms by writing about them.

First Light with Mister Menieres

She used to arise at four-thirty long before morning light.
There was time for treasured quiet-
to nurture a shard of her shattered self.
Perplexities and worries of the days 
forewarned of tragic times.

Then, two sons grown, a son and husband gone,
she still arose at five before the morning light.
Spiked with energy and expectation
she felt eagerness to walk a mile, gather with friends,
or take a trip. She would write of illusions, anger, 
love and grief, dance a dance, seek life's learnings.
She might experience a man or three-
ignite new lights.

Now, in the surrounding still of intermittent deafness
she burrows into flannel sheets holding her close.
She dreams a dream, explores a memory-
listens with awe to the mouse that lives in her left ear.
He squeaks directions to his orchestra, tuning up for the day.

Only at first light does she allow herself 
the surreal sensation of vertigo as she arises with care.
Perhaps this day Mister Menieres will permit her 
to savor coffee, enjoy a book, bake a loaf, 
call a friend or write a poem to reclaim those parts-
pieces to a puzzle finally taking shape.

It makes a mosaic of her forgotten self
illuminated by the candle power of tranquility.

I think I said once to the crowd, that there are things worse than
blindness. Deafness is one. There are so many ways to deal with blindness.
Deafness cuts into your heart by losing communication with those you love.
When you take away the visual, the auditory and then the tactual, you are
getting close to Helen Keller, though she could feel with her hands.
Every time in my life that I have come close to feeling sorry for myself, I
have only to "look" around and see someone I would much rather not be. Right
now, it is my kid brother, 13 years younger, who has early onset Alzheimer's
and has broken his neck, is wearing a halo, and his miraculous creativity is
gone.
I guess we can all say, we are pretty lucky.
Jacqui
-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Bridgit Pollpeter
Sent: Sunday, October 16, 2011 12:53 PM
Subject: [stylist] Please Read My Live Well Column

 Hello,

Please read my Live Well blog column at:

http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/2011/10/13/meet-the-blind/

I blog about Meet the Blind Month. Please note that one of the end
paragraphs is missing the beginning section of the first sentence. I'm not
sure what happened, or why my editor has yet to fix this though I've asked
her to remedy it. This is not how my original is, but something must have
happened when it was posted to the website. Anyway, wanted to point this
out, and as always, thank you for the support

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
bpollpeter at hotmail.com

LiveWellNebraska.com 		 	   		  
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