[nagdu] The Habit of Independence

[Tracy Carcione]

Talking to Rebecca this morning reminded me of an article I read in the 
Monitor several years ago called The Habit of Independence.  I don't 
remember who wrote it, but I've never forgotten it.
This woman lived in town, where she could get around easily, and thought 
nothing of going out by herself and doing what she wanted to do.  Then, for 
family reasons, she and her husband moved somewhere where it was hard for a 
blind person to get around.  She had to wait for someone to drive her most 
of the time.  When they eventually moved to a new place, where getting 
around was easy, she found that she'd lost the habit of independence.  She 
had to make a real effort to regain it and go out on her own, without 
waiting for someone to come with her.
I understood it when I read it, and even more so over the years.  My husband 
and I work in the same office, and, for a while, we went in together and 
came home together.  It was nice to have company, though I missed working my 
dog on my own.  But I got used to always having someone with me.  Then we 
changed our schedules a bit, so we could better care for my retired dog, and 
we stopped travelling to and from work together.  And, somewhat to my 
surprise, I had to make a real effort to get out of the habit of having 
someone with me, and practice going off by myself.
I just thought I'd mention the article, and my experiences.  To me, it was 
probably the most meaningful Monitor article I've ever read.
Tracy