On the one year anniversary of an incredibly large, random act of goodwill having been bestowed upon me by a complete stranger in Sedona, Arizona, (“An Iced Vanilla Latte With An Unexpected Shot Of Kindness“), on the other side of the country, kindness strikes twice.
Returning to our car in the parking lot at the Portland Head Lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, two older women pulled into the spot next to our vehicle. I was using my trekking poles, which in hiking locations and the like seem innocent enough, but in other non-difficult terrain they indicate that I have some physical issue. They do not, however, scream visual impairment; that is the job of the iconic white cane.
I waited at the back of our mid-size SUV to allow room for the driver of the sedan to disembark. She said to me, “That must have been hard.” I smiled, then told her I am legally blind. She immediately responded, “You don’t look it!” I smiled again. “You’re doing good. Keep it up,” she encouraged. I thanked her, then stowed my poles on the floor in the back before getting into the passenger seat. I relayed the incident to my husband as he backed us out.
Although I have no way of contacting or sending this story to the thoughtful person I met on the coast of Maine, the young lady from red rock country and I are still in touch. On the morning of this latest gift from a human completely unknown to me, I had texted Alyssa to wish her a Happy Anniversary. We are bonded by the few moments we shared. I will never know the identity of the lady from Cape Elizabeth; it would have been nice to at least learn her name. Truth be told, though, she conveyed to me everything else I would ever need to know about her. Doing good, indeed.
#sisterrain #alittlesightalotofheart #legallyblindwriter #blindnessisaspectrum #opticneuropathy #visuallyimpaired #blind #portlandheadlighthouse #capeelizabethmaine #youredoinggood
