The feel of the dog is so familiar.

It must be similar for those people who can see. But, I was thinking about this this morning. First thing in the morning, my little black lab guide dog leaps off her dog bed and bounces over when she notices me stirring. She comes over wagging her whole self, eager to start a new and exciting day. I was patting her softest ever ears, her stocky body, her softish short lab fur. Feeling through mmy hands near her shoulders the wagging of her whole self. This is my dog. And then, it occurred to me that the first time I touched her, she seemed so strange. So much shorter than my golden guide before her. So much more stocky. Such short fur and so little of it. Before that, the dog I touched all of the time had long fur and lots of it. Curly under the neck and curly when she had a bath or got wet. A long slowly wagging thin, feathery tail, Taller, longer legs. The sounds too are familiar. Gia squeaked when she got excited. She had a high pitched bark. She made certain little noises when you patted her or when she settled down to sleep. Tulia snores. She makes different noises when you pat her. She moves differently. Her paws sliding and swishing on the floor. When I had both of them, I knew who was moving around, who was there, who was wagging to let me know where she was. Interesting how sounds and textures and shapes of dogs become so familiar so quickly.

Driver's license?

While  in a store yesterday paying for a purchase, the gentleman behind the counter asked for my driver's license as ID.  This happens quite a lot.  It happened more when I didn't have a guide dog with me.  Tulia was right there by my legs so I said, "Do you imagine I have a driver's license?" as I pulled out other ID.  "Why wouldn't you?" he said and then Tulia moved and he said, "What is that there beside  you?"  He sounded a bit scared.  "My guide dog," I said. "Oh oh I'm sorry.  I didn't notice.  Oh what a cute dog!"  I had thought he might be dog phobic but he just hadn't seen how I entered the store I guess.  Tulia is better than a driver's license any time!

Hearing voices.

The other day, while in a crowded room, I heard a familiar voice.  I said to my sighted friend who was with me, "Oh there's..."  They said, "No."  I said, "Yes." and then they spotted the person.  I was right.  Then, she asked me, "How did you do that?" "What?" "Hear that person in such a crowded noise filled room?"  Well, I guess it is because I focus on voices.  It always amuses me when I pick up the phone and say, "Hi there (name inserted here)"  And the person on the other end seems a bit surprised.  After all, I am at an advantage on the phone.  I can't see faces.  No one can on the phone.  but I identify people by their voices.  So, just as my friend would glance across a room and see someone, so I listen and hear them if they are talking.  It isn't always perfect.  There are some people who sound a great deal alike.  I  had twin friends once and it was very difficult for me to tell their voices apart.  Sometimes too, if someone comes up to me in a different environment from what I am used to knowing them in, I get confused and have to think for a minute.  Generally though, I am pretty good at it most of the time.  I  have to be.  Now, if someone is sitting quietly in the cafe reading, I won't know they are there.  Tomorrow a funny story about a friend waving at me from afar.

Advantages of not looking in a mirror

I suppose there are disadvantages to not being able to see myself in the mirror.  What if I have something stuck in my teeth?  On my face?  If I have a stain on my shirt?  But, I listened to a podcast yesterday from a gerontologist who talks about how we feel younger than we look and how we are suprised when we see our older selves in mirrors.  Blind people will go on how they feel and not how they look!  What a great advantage. 

Hearing the weather.

I heard the weather on the radio this morning.  Extremely cold and windy.  But, I always listen to the weather too.  What do I hear that might tell me something?  People scraping off their cars (snow has fallen or ice has built up on them over night) people having trouble starting cars (it is cold!  Really cold!)  When I open the front door, I can feel cold on my face,  hear rain or snow or wind.  I can hear other things too.  People walking by.  Are they strolling along?  If they are, the weather might be balmy and beautiful.  If they are all hurrying, maybe it is freezing or sizzling or raining, snowing or windy.  If I hear peope's shoes slipping and sliding, it is probably icy.  This is the equivalent I guess to someone taking a look outside before leaving the house.

Great things about being blind. Opening the eyes of the sighted!

I fascinated someone today.  I think I really caused her to see people who are blind in a new way.  I'm not bragging.  And I didn't do anything out of the ordinary.  Since I work from home, I will often go out for a walk with Tulia and then end up in a coffee shop or something to do some work.  Gives me a change of scene, a destination for Tulia to find, and let's me still do my work.
I'm right now trying to learn some material for a show we have coming up on May 27 at a local museum Billings estate.
come if you can and if you live in Ottawa.
It will be a fun, light show in which I recite the poems of one of Canada's worst ever poets "The chaucer of cheese"
Anyway, I had my braille note taker with me to read and practice my script.
Tulia and I walked to the door and she found the handle so I could open the door.
A woman said, "Oh I'll help you find the door."
but Tulia had already done it.
In we went,  She said,  "I'll help you find the line."
Tulia had already done it.
Then I ordered and asked if they would carry coffee to a table for me.
They agreed.
I said, "Tulia find a chair."
At the same time, the woman said, "I'll help you find a chair."
But, you guessed it, Tulia already had done that too.
I sat down, took out my braille notetaker, and started reading and working on the script.
After a few minutes, the woman came over and asked what that machine was.
I explained.
She seemed awestruck.
"You don't need any help with anything do you?"
There was amazement in her voice.
She wasn't being condescending or sarcastic or even upset that I didn't take her help.
She was truly amazed it seemed.
In a good way.
Now, I do need help with things.
We all do.
but today, I was just doing what was normal for me.
And I blew her away and taught her something just by being out there in the world and functioning.
And of course I had the smartest and cutest guide dog ever showing off.
I'm glad she learned that people who are blind are just people out there doing what we do.
And I happen to be blind.