It’s a breezy day. Quite cool. Today was the start of the
mornings getting darker. Only by a small amount, but I’m still waiting for our
summer and already the days are shrinking. Though on Tuesday and Wednesday, we
are to have the hottest days. Shame we can’t go out but work calls for all.
Our dogs have been on a great free run today. A four-month
little dog made friends with the Little Fella. She kept kissing him and wouldn’t
leave him alone but he was so good with her. They are exhausted now. and I suspect
hungry. They always ask for their dinners early when they have had a free run.
I was asked a couple of days ago to describe what it is like
being blind. Gosh, where to begin? What it’s like for me, for friends or in
general? For some people who are blind, it’s just life. they have never known anything
different. They come across some challenges, but deal with it. What choice do
they have? For others it’s the most depressing way of living. It’s sad, lonely
and extremely challenging. They want to work but it’s really difficult to get a
job unless you have been to university and even then, it’s hard to get employment
in the field that you have studied in. most people who are blind who work, are
working in a role that is much lower
than what they are capable of. Of course, there are some fortunate people who
have fantastic jobs like directors, CEO’s heads of and so on!
Some people who write to me through messages or email, never
leave the house. One lady I was talking to the other day is in her late
thirties and hasn’t stepped over her doorstep for three years and eight months.
Imagine that? She cries every day. She is so scared. Her family never visits. And
that is another thing, a lot of people who lose their sight or who have been
blind forever, family members don’t bother with them. It’s awful. People who
have lost their sight suddenly find they lose their friends. Personally, I have
some lovely friends, but they freely too freely, tell me now that when they
first met me, they weren’t sure as they thought I wouldn’t be the same as their
other friends. Now I get told by them that being friends with me is no
different than sighted people. It’s a case of people just opening their closed
minds.
It can be really scary being blind. But some would say it’s liveable
and they really enjoy life.
Personally, I have great days and sad days. Days when I really
despair and other days when I exist. And then I have times in life where I have
really looked forward to the event and had the best times. And then there are
times when I am sick of my life. I guess that is the same for those who can
see?
Everyone has challenges in life. we just seem to have more
and different. But me personally, I’m lucky. I have a beautiful house. We are
not in desperate need for money. We are not hungry. I have a loving Husband and
Son. We don’t go on holiday any more sadly, but that is because it scares me to
go abroad just the two of us. One day who knows we may go abroad again. Our Son
may go with us when he doesn’t have his gf to go with unless he is with her
forever. Or who knows, we may go on our own, gosh, that will be one heck of a
blog? Haha.
If we go on holiday abroad, how on earth would we do
anything out of the hotel? We don’t know the route anywhere abroad. I so miss
the lovely weather and atmosphere of foreign countries. The food, smells and
different languages.
I would love to walk along a beach with Hub. But if you can
imagine, if you are blind, how on earth do you find your way off a beach? Not only
that, how do you not trip over someone laying on the sands? So, I guess a
holiday abroad is out of the question so that is sad, but we have each other
that is the main thing and we have nice days out.
For me I miss not being able to see in the mirror before I go
out. To know what is in fashion and how ladies are wearing their hair. Colours I
used to miss but to be honest, I’m over that now. we evolve as people who are blind,
I think. Well, we get used to situations. We adapt. Thank goodness for the
iPhone as we use that so much for applications we download. We can read letters
but only every few words, never a full letter. We can’t fill in forms so that
is tedious. Who to ask? Especially when it comes to banking.
Everything is a struggle to be honest. Going to the cinema
we have to take a walk over a really lethal road. Walk hoping, we can find
where we need to go. Getting to buildings, hoping that our dog will take us to
the right one. And then once in, remembering where to find where we can buy
tickets then getting someone to get us the small machine where we plug our earphones
into as we are fortunate in the UK we have fantastic audio for our cinema’s and
theatres, but as for the theatre, audio is only usually for one performance. One out of the full week.
And only once that day may be in the afternoon?
Arenas are a total nightmare. We have to go with someone. We
have been to the theatre just the two of us many times before using the bus and
hoping we get off at the right stop and that is great as we get ourselves to
the counter and someone assists us to a seat. But all through the performance, I’m
thinking, oh, heck at the end, what if we don’t get assistance? Some theatres
are easy, you get up, turn back on yourself and follow people but some have
loads of steps lifts and are huge open spaces.
Life is really difficult. Choosing paint for your house,
colours in general. Reading cooking instructions. I guess we learn to improvise.
What do people who are blind see? It depends on what they have
wrong with their eyesight. Everyone is different. Hub describes what he sees as
imagining looking from your elbow. I see nothing some days other days I see a
bright white sheet in front of me. Other times it’s dark red or dirty fog, but
not fog. As fog you see through but it’s blurry. I don’t see through my fog. Sometimes
I think I see shadows. But then I wonder if it’s my imagination. My brain
playing tricks as it’s our brain that see’s.
I used to think going blind would be like looking at black
all the time. I don’t think I have ever seen black. Sometimes for me, I see
like Hub, from my elbow, when you look through your elbow, what do you see? Yep,
same here. Nothing. Its like looking through your ears.
I was asked another question about blindness today; I shall
try to answer that in another blog.
I was reading that in South Africa, an evil south African
hunter/murderer, shot a beautiful elephant, but Kama came along and settled
life as when the poor elephant was shot, it fell on top of the murderer and
killed him. I just wish the elephant hadn’t have been shot. Another couple were
pictured as they kissed after killing a lion. My goodness, what is wrong with
people. Sick sinful individuals.
Now for some facts I enjoyed reading. In England if you
leave a party early, it’s called a French exit. In France they say to leave
like the English.
Depicted in pictures and statues, Buddha isn’t at all like
the real Buddha is meant to have been. He was really skinny because of self-deprivation.
In 1923, a jockey had a heart attack but his horse continued
running and won, making the first and only jockey to have ever won a race after
death.
Wow, this is incredible, at birth, a baby panda, is smaller
than a mouse.
The worlds largest Grand piano was built in New Zealand by a
fifteen year old. It’s over 18 feet long.
And finally, octopuses and squids have beaks, did you know
that? I guess if you can see, you did, but never personally seeing one I really
wouldn’t have ever guessed that they had. They are made from keratin the same
as what our fingernails and bird beaks are made from.
Take care live life for today and enjoy tomorrow.
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