Great things about being blind. Train travel continued. Seat assignments

I know that this would never have happened to me if I hadn't been blind. This story evokes images which never fail to bring a smile to my face. I thought of it yesterday while on the train and almost laughed out loud. Remember a few posts ago when I talked about the well-meaning airline agent who gave me a boarding pass for my dog? If you don't, read back through my blog and find it under air travel. Once in a while, people who give me my train tickets also provide a ticket for the dog. This didn't happen yesterday and doesn't always happen but sometimes it does. On one memorable day, I was given a ticket with a seat in one car and my golden guide dog Gia was given a different seat in a different car. The images flooding my mind were wonderful. The blind woman escorts her guide dog to a seat in a car. She tells the dog she can sit on the seat (my guides always travel on the floor in public transit vehicles). She tells the dog to stay and not to surf the net or eat too much. People around watch in amazement. As the food cart comes by, Gia takes almost all of the food on it. Especially the raw carrots which she loves. After the much lighter food cart has passed, she facebooks all of her dog friends to tell them of her adventures and then settles down for a well-deserved nap. This never happened of course but I wouldn't have had the pleasure of imagining it if I hadn't been blind and issued a ticket for my dog. When we actually did board the train, we both went to my car and my seat and she curled up on the floor at my feet as usual.

Great things about being blind. Sighted people who naturally know the right things to do.

I had a wonderful day today. All of it. It started out freezing cold. I was up early to walk my dogs and to get things together to leave for a storytelling/disability awareness presentation in a town about an hour away by train. I called for a cab to pick me up. I could have bussed it to the train station but it was freezing and early. The cab driver was wonderful, friendly, and pointed out where the station doors were when I got out. And he complimented me on my guide dog too. Once inside, I got my ticket. The man at the counter broke apart my tickets and said he was handing me the one for the journey back first so that I could put it away. Then, he handed me my ticket for the outward trip. This doesn't seem like a big deal but usually sighted folks just hand you the whole thing and then you hand the train people the whole ticket. It isn't a big deal but by doing what he did, he showed me he was aware of what I would need to know and I didn't even have to ask. Next he asked if someone could show me to the proper departure area. Another very nice and friendly man came and without my having to ask, he asked if I wanted to take his arm or if my dog would follow him. Once again, someone who easily and naturally knew how to help and how not to help. The people on the train were wonderful. Tulia was beautifully behaved on her first train journey with me. When I reached my destination, I was met by one of the people organizing my presentation. She too was wonderful, friendly, full of enthusiasm. She admitted that she didn't know how best to guide me but she asked what I needed and listened. At the restaurant, the food was good, the company interesting, engaged, and wonderful. One person said they expected to learn something but hadn't expected to be so entertained. There was lots of laughter and many excellent questions. The storytelling was wonderful in itself but as it often does, serves as a vehicle for disability awareness education. After we were finished, I got a ride back to the train station where (once again) staff were friendly, helpful, not patronizing in the least. the trip home was smooth and relaxing and when I got here, my wonderful retired guide was thrilled to see us back again. So thanks to all of you sighted people out there who make life so fun. And to those who make it difficult sometimes, that is okay too because you may just show up in one of my stories. Everyone today was stellar. Thanks for that.