[stylist] That Look: It's not what you think

[Bridgit Pollpeter via stylist]

Nothing wrong being the person holding the cane. My husband and I, who
is also blind, go to the market on our own, either using a store
employee or friend to help locate items. We either walk back home or if
purchasing a lot, take a cab, if not with friend/family member. We
Braille our list, and the only reason it might take us longer is if the
person helping locate items has a problem finding it. With our cane, we
know where to go, and get there without much issue. If people give us
looks of pity, that's there problem. Usually our son charms the pants
off people though, grin.

I wasn't always blind, losing my vision at 22. I don't have time for
people's pity or self-pity. Do I wish I had sight back? Sure, doesn't
stop me from living my life, moving forward, going about business. Ross
and I both have university degrees; he works full-time; I'm a
stay-at-home mom. We manage our house and family like anyone else. We
enjoy being outside, exercising, going to the theatre and movies, taking
kids to the park. I cook, Ross does yard work... Blindness hasn't kept
us from living life, and it hasn't been a huge obstacle. In fact, for
me, the biggest obstacle I've encountered since losing my vision has
been the attitudes and perceptions others believe and insist upon me.

We all learn and adapt in our own way, in our own time, but we make a
choice to either accept the reality and do what we can to adjust, or we
choose to wallow, losing more than our physical vision. Not everything
will come easy during the adjustment, and we won't all pick up certain
lessons right away or be amazing at them for the rest of our lives. But
living with blindness is possible, and not just a shadowy, mere
reflection of our former lives, but a vibrant, full, active version of
our life. It's all about acceptance and choices.

BTW, you use the word buggy, are you not from America?

Bridgit

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of April
Brown via stylist
Sent: Saturday, May 24, 2014 6:15 AM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: [stylist] That Look: It's not what you think


Good morning.

I had an experience last night.

We never go grocery shopping on Friday night.  We did anyway.

It was crowded, and my remaining vision was quickly overwhelmed.  So
much so, my eye still hurts this morning.  If it weren't for my OCD, I
couldn't "pass" as sighted.  That's another story for another day.

Last night, we rounded an aisle corner in the store near the registers.

A middle aged plus woman and her full buggy blocked the entrance.  She
was speaking to a man standing flat, almost against the shelves.

Another woman with a full buggy waited to pass down the aisle as well.

The first woman finally noticed people waited, apologized loudly, and
moved her buggy.

As the second woman passed, I noticed the man had a white support cane.

What look crossed my face?  

I'll never know.  Likely not the "pity" she thought she saw.  

More the feeling of, "That'll be me someday soon."

She loudly called the man away.

I went on my way, following hubby, unable to see much further than the
end of the buggy, or much wider than the buggy.

Did he even notice?  Highly unlikely.  When he's shopping, he pays no
attention to the people around him.

My shopping list had 3 items on it.  In years if I had gone shopping
alone, I would have run in the store, grabbed those three items, paid,
and left.  We were in there over an hour, and left with a buggy so full
I couldn't push it.



April Brown

Writing dramatic adventure novels uncovering the myths we hide behind.

aprilbrownwrite at gmail.com

Website: https://sites.google.com/site/uncoveredmyths/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/UncoveredMyths
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