As you may get tired of reading, I miss driving terribly. Aside from the independence it affords, I LOVED getting behind the wheel, radio on; driving could be considered a favorite hobby of mine. I had a heavy foot, I liked to go fast. For me, no highway was too busy, no mountain road too windy.
Now that I don’t have much sight, whenever I try something new, the normal learning curve continues for a greater distance than the average driver, the twists and turns downright treacherous at times, at least to my patience and psyche. New software updates, platforms and apps display flashing hazard lights in my brain before the first hairpin turn. Walking in a new place elicits a sign inside me that screams “SLIPPERY WHEN WET” even on a sunny, dry day. A new appliance at home has the warning “DO NOT CUT SWITCHBACKS” hitting me on the back of the head . . . from the inside!
Should we allow this to stop us? Of course not. Do we pump the brakes not because we were taught to do so in Drivers Ed but because we are scared? Sometimes. Does it make us mad, this necessity to slow our roll? Yes! But there is no alternate route. As tempting as it is every time, there is no going back. The only option is forward. Grip the wheel. Focus. Grit your teeth, TMJ be damned! Take your time. Curse if you have to. Pull over and take a break. Regroup. Then get back on your road. If this legally blind former driver without a license can do it, so can you. After all, a learning curve negotiated is the only way to get where you’re going.
sisterrain #alittlesightalotofheart #legallyblindwriter #blindnessisaspectrum #opticneuropathy #visuallyimpaired #blind #dangerouslearningcurvesahead
