Hub and I had a great day and our dogs were amazing. Thank
God for them. It snowed yesterday and it was so cold I thought today it would
have been too slippy to walk anywhere, but all the snow had gone away and left
just a memory!
We got home with rosy cheeks and very wet dogs as the
puddles splashed especially on my Waggatail stomach as she is tiny, so low to
the ground. Cleaned her up Little Fella just needed his legs cleaning. But he’s
cream, so he must have looked a mess.
The cool winter burned through our skin but when we got
home, it was so warm. We had a cupper and some German Christmas cake. Checked our
fit checker and we had walked almost 10,000 steps. It took about an hour and
fifteen minutes
Hub and I chatted and continued to enjoy our day with a
lovely dinner. And now the kids are home and all is happy. I haven’t done 1 per
cent of house work. I guess tomorrow I shall pay for that. Double trouble.
In our news, you know by now I’m not a fan of Prince Philip.
Well two days after he crashed his car pulling out could have killed the people
he crashed with, two women and a baby, he has been seen behind the wheel again.
Without a seatbelt.
And now onto a subject one of my readers has asked me to
write about. Some questions they get asked by others.
Do you find other people are condescending towards you
because you are blind?
Answer
Personally, until they get to know me, yes, they are. As
they are starting to know me, they may say things like gosh, you amaze me. That
is a really popular thing for people to say. I always ask now why do I amaze
you? They then tell me and I find their words rather funny. It’s normally because
of the simplest things they have seen me do. Sometimes it’s things that they
have already asked me about and have stored those answers I have given them and
remembered to use as an example and it’s like, well you can cook. Or you manage
to wash clothes and iron them.
“What do you get out of going on a holiday?””
Oh, that one normally gets my blood boiling, but I remain
calm as these people need educating. And I reply.
The same as you, what do you enjoy about a holiday, I love
to turn their stupid question into a rhetorical answer. And it’s amazing, truly
amazing, how they actually can’t always describe just what they like about
their own holiday and that feeds me the fuel that I need to end the conversation,
as I normally get an answer like well, I like the sun, and I like to relax. I love
the cocktails and entertainment at nights.
I then say, oh, is that all? Don’t you like to visit the cultural
tourist places and mix with the locals? Visit a traditional market, visit their
local church and eat their typical foods? Don’t you like to go for walks and
see the real country you are visiting? We also like to relax but we get a back or
shoulder massage or some other kind of pampering session like Indian head massage.
And then I just wait whilst they pick up their jaw to reply,
how do you do all that?
I tell them the same as they do, I take a tour bus or taxi
or use my legs to visit the tourist places. Normally going with a sighted
person. Then they say, ah, so you don’t really do it?
Do it?
Do what?
OMG.
When I have been in a
shop like with my lovely friend Pip, the shop keeper will hand her the receipt.
Obviously, I’m not capable of handling my receipt. Hahah. So, I normally ask
Pip for the receipt. When I have been with my friend Julie, oh, my, she goes
mad. She would actually tell the person behind the till to hand it to me rather
than her.
I haven’t had this experience but some of my readers have. When
they go to a restaurant, the waitress/waiter, will ask the person that can see
what we want. OH, stop, yes, I actually remember when I was in America, the
waitress kept asking our friend Mary did we want this and that. Until I inwardly
flip and said to the waitress, could you please direct your question to me
rather than our friend? But we only have
experienced that in America, and thinking back, the Bloggets who have told me
these stories, were from America, so, not sure if that is an American thing? May
be in the US, restaurants blind people get looked past but in shops it’s
different, as when I shopped there for clothes, oh, wow I have never received
such kindness. Where they weren’t patronising, but more like treat you like a
queen. We don’t get that in our shops, but our restaurants, they seem to be
better. Funny that isn’t it? How different countries are different in their approach
depending where you go? Either shops or eateries.
Another question I know get asked to others, but these are
people with glass eyes, they get asked can you cry? My eyes are real and not
artificial, so personally I can’t answer that, but I have heard that people
with prosthetic eyes do cry though I don’t think they produce tears. But they
go through the same feeling in the eyes as those do with the eyes they were
born with. I also heard that people with prosthetic eyes don’t need to close
their eyes.
But don’t quote me on that.
But with my eyes, I do produce tears, and everything else
that you do with your eyes that work…. Behind my eyes are broken, not the front.
This is important, I get asked this a lot. (How do you
recognise people) a lot of people don’t speak to blind people as they pass them
in the street. I have asked people over the years, why is this? Their answers
are normally because we don’t know if you will know who we are…. So, my answer
to those people is as follows.
Say hello to us, please say who you are for example.
“Hi Fiona it’s Lisa.”” Eventually I will get to know your voice.
When I first moved into our street, I asked all the neighbours to tell me who
they were when they passed. I thought I shall get it out of the way so a habit
of ignoring us would not continue. And our neighbours have been fantastic. Especially
our neighbour Keith. He always says even now, hello Fiona. I would know who he was
even if he didn’t tell me now, but I let him continue as I think it’s a really
kind thing for him to do and it also means I will always know who he is.
If you have any other questions please just message me or
drop me an email. You can leave a comment on Blogger too.
Remember to live your life not driven by fear but by love.
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