Great things about being blind. Greeting people on the street.

This morning, Tulia and I were walking along the quiet streets to go to our Saturday morning yoga class.
Someone ahead of me said hello. I said hello and smiled. but then realized, she was talking on her cell phone.
She hadn't actually said hello to me but had said it to someone else.
Nevertheless, I smiled and said hello.
I know that for me when someone says hello as they walk by, I like it very much.
It makes me smile.
I do say hi to people as I hear them go by.
Some people seem surprised and uncomfortabel when they respond.
Some do not respond.
As a person who is blind, I don't know if someone is talking on their cell phones.
Also, nowadays, everyone is listening to something all of the time while walking.
Or they are texting.
I do admit to having a huge love of my ipod and podcasts and audio books.
II always have it with me but don't use it while walking.
So, being blind, I say hello to anyone who says hello even if they aren't talking to me. Good thing about being blind? I say yes.

Great things about being blind. Meeting so many wonderful people through this blog.

Thanks to all of the new followers and the old followers too.  More people are reading this all of the time.  Sometimes I think what I have to say may not be all that interesting but aren't we all like that about ourselves?  I have met so many new and interesting people because of this blog and I really enjoy writing it.  Technology makes the world so much smaller.  And access technology has really assisted me with most aspects of my life.  I love all of the comments.  Thanks for them.  Last weekend, I was telling stories to a group and mentioned in my intro my blog.  Afterwards, someone came up and said they had already checked it out with their phone and really liked it.  If anyone has topic ideas for me to consider, please send them along too.

Great things about being blind. Working in the rain.

It is raining here today. Feels like it has been raining for weeks and weeks. Miss Tulia is not fond of the rain. I don't need a weather person or the weather channel to tell mme t is rainy. Tulia is sluggish. When I open the door, she ambles out with me instead of bouncing out looking for adventure. We have no yard so out wwe both go. This morning,,, a I stood there in the rain waiting for her to decide to relieve herself, I started thinking about my other guide dogs and rain. Gwenny too (my only other black lab guide) hated rain a great deal. She was raised in southern California and so she lived with me in rainy British Columbia before moving back east. The first morning we went out in a steady rain, Gwenny charged down our steps. She was a fast walker and an eager worker. she stopped in her tracks when she realized it was raining and promptly turned us both around and started walking back upstairs. Gia didn't mind the rain but she would often wipe her wet golden self all over me to keep herself more dry. Sometimes she would rub her head and face against my leg. I think maybe so she could see better in the rain. Her gollden coat got all curly in the rain and she took ages to dry out. I don't remember my second guide Margaret having much trouble with rain. Please excuse typos. I'm writing on my ipood and still trying to figure out how to make corrections.

Tomorrow, I shall tell you all about the raincoats and winter coats and other things my guides have worn.

Great things about being blind. Being able to blog about it.

I am honoured that guide dogs for the blind's blog, no bones about it, is featuring my blog.
Thank you gdb.
You can find out more about them at
www.guidedogs.com
I thought that writing an entry each day on great things about being blind was vitally important. I want to dispel some of the negative stereotyping about people with disabilities in the media and in the views of some people today. I thought it might be difficult but it actually has been fun.
On the day when my Gia retired guide dog died, I thought I wouldn't be able to blog but I did.
I blogged about her and continued that for the next few days.
It helped me to write about it and blogging has helped get ideas for my storytelling.
It is great practice to write each day as well.
I'd love to write a book some time too.
So thanks to all who have been reading and commenting on my blog.
Thanks to the other bloggers whose blogs I read.
I will create another post with their blog links in it.
If I wasn't blind, I wouldn't be blogging about this and meeting and hearing from so many wonderful people.
Thank you so much.

Kim Kilpatrick
Storyteller
Performer
Disability Awareness Presenter
kimjkilpatrick@gmail.com
Masc Artist in the schools and with seniors
www.masconline.ca
Member of the Ottawa Storyteleers gig group
www.ottawastorytellers.ca
Blog about great things about being blind
http://kimgia3.blogspot.com
Look for me on facebook at kimjkilpatrick@gmail.com
Follow me on twitter at kimtulia4
Sent from my iPod

Great things about being blind. Wonderful grandfather.

My wonderful grandfather Kilpatrick was born on this day aand although he has been dead for many years, I still miss him as he was so wonderful and interesting. He was somewhat shy and soft spoken but he was an amazing storyteller although he wouldn't call himself that. As a storyteller myself now, I think about his natural timing, choice of story subjects and words, his irish lilt. He also taught me many songs as we were the only musical ones in the family. I was thinking about him this morning and realize that we never ever talked about my blindness. I never heard him say what he thought about it but he was always natural with me and never seemed to put barriers in my path. He was very excited that I had been accepted into University as only my father had ever gone to post secondary. He knew I ggot in before he died. Today I am beginning to teach a storytelling workshop. I think it a wonderful omen that it is starting on my papa's birthday.

Happy birthday to my first guide dog.

In some ways, I've come full circle with my guide dogs.  I've had guide dogs since the spring of 1992.  All from the same school.
Wonderful guide dogs for the blind in California and Oregon.
http://www.guidedogs.com/
My first guide dog was born on this day in 1990.
She was a wonderful black labrador named Gwenny.
Gwenny was calm, smart, happy, and had a real mind of her own.
She would let you know if something you did didn't please her.
One of the first times I found this out,  happened on her birthday.
Gwenny's brother was also in our guide dog class.
There were about 16 people in class I believe.
Gwenny was black and her brother was yellow.  so, the student who had her brother and I bought cake and ice cream for the class.
Chocolate cake in honour of black Gwenny and vanilla ice cream in honour of yellow brother whose name I forget.
Then, I bought biscuits for all of the dogs from Gwenny.
Anyone who has a retreiver knows that food is very important to them.
Gwenny loved her food very much.
She was excited when she saw and smelled the bag of biscuits.
She had guided me to the pet store to get them.
We walked down the hall and at each door, I knocked and presented a biscuit to the owner of each new guide.
Gwenny started walking more and more slowly.
She kept banging my leg with her head. 
She would tilt her head to look at the bag of biscuits each time one came out and wasn't offered to her.
There were very few biscuits left when Gwenny sat down and stayed there wagging her tail.
"Hey woman!  What about me?  It is my second birthday after all.  And I guided you safely to that store and guided you up and down these halls.  Now just where is my biscuit?"
Point well taken.  Gwenny did get her biscuit.
Gwenny died suddenly of cancer at age 7.5 while still working.
Her loss was so devastating to me and all who knew her.
She is now on high and I hope eating well on her birthday.
This past winter, when I took that last journey with my retired guide who also had cancer, I thought of Gwenny waiting for my wonderful Gia.
And, as I sat on the floor stroking my golden Gia for the last time, talking to her, my second small black lab lay at my feet.
Another calm, compassionate, fun dog with a mind of her own.
Not like the others and yet like them.
For her wonderful raisers who I still keep in touch with, for all my raiser families who are now friends, for all of the trainers at gdb who had a hand in training my wonderful guides, for all the raisers and trainers out there, you are awesome.
Have a piece of cake or dog biscuit in honour of the best first guide dog any person could ever have.

Great things about being blind. Finding interesting material for my one woman show.

KK have been doing a great deal of research for my one woman show. I am so grateful for the grant I received to create it from the Canada Council for the Arts.
I've been reading a great deal about blind characters in literature.
They are a sorry lot.
They are one of the following types:
whiny
evil and mean
saintly
possessed of miraculous powers
pathetic
totally self absorbed
not capable of having any normal relationships
sick
weak
overbearing.
I could go on and on.
It is sad and madening.
but, good fodder for my show.