Those Moments That Medicate Us

All of us blind kids have a good “You won’t believe what happened!” story to share. Most likely, we have more than 1, or 2, or 20 stories. Stories involving close calls, mishaps, or good blind intentions that caused us to feel slightly embarrassed or totally mortified. The various “situations” we get into are not because we are clueless or careless. They occur because we are legally blind.

I’ve heard lots of stories from friends in the blind community. The common theme is a simple one….an innocent mistake is made due to our vision loss.

On social media, these laughable moments have been categorized as “Blind girl problems” or “Blind guy problems”. Now I am well aware of the fact that not every blind problem or moment has a humorous flavor to it. But some do. Some of the most horrifying moments can be downright “laugh ’till I’m dead” funny! I recently had a sitch that could’ve fallen into the horrified category. It was such a close call!

So, the husby and I were heading into Costco last week. As he walked over to grab a cart, I boldly decided to look for a trashcan to throw away my gum. I use the term “look” loosely. I looked over to my right and I saw a trash can shaped object next to the wall. “Oh good” I thought, and I headed over there, with cane in hand. I got within a foot of the brown object and as I reached for the wad of gum in my mouth to throw it away,  I felt a jolt go through my body. It was as if the universe had tasered me. Like on an episode of “Cops”. Sorta. Okay, not exactly, but pretty close! I froze. The object was not a trashcan. It was an older gentleman…… or lady…OH hell if I know!….wearing brown clothing, sitting next to the wall. Holy shit! I quickly turned and walked away. Oh. My. God! What a close call! HOW would I have even handled that? Apologize profusely and offer to cut the gum out of their hair?? Where would I get scissors? I don’t even KNOW! What I do know, is that I CAN share that story now and laugh and laugh and laugh.

As I already said, not every blind girl or guy problem, story, situation, or moment has to be shared. The horrible and stressful moments we encounter, can be quite upsetting. I suggest that those types of experiences, or other issues, be discussed on the comfy couch in a therapist’s office. (That’s what I do, and I strongly encourage anyone to seek professional counseling if they need to.)  The harmless and hilarious experiences are the ones we enjoy sharing and hearing about.

They say “Laughter is the best medicine” and I thrive on that medicine. I want as much as I can possibly get to help lighten up this unexpected life! Thank God we don’t need a doctor’s prescription for laughter! We just need to surround ourselves with the right people who will create and nourish those moments that medicate us!