My husband does not hover since my vision loss, he knows that I will ask for help when I need it. That said, he is very considerate of my visual impairment, always thinking ahead to make travel and events as easy as possible for me.
While in Washington state, we decided to go on a whale watch with Puget Sound Express (“Watching Whales, Feeling Alive“). I waited outside the office while Mister Rain went in to present the tickets he had purchased online. He asked the woman at the desk if it would be possible for us to board a minute or two before everyone else. I always worry about holding people up if I’m walking slowly, adding pressure to myself when I am already under stress just trying not to fall. The woman was very kind, instructing my husband that we should sit on the bench by the orca statue and she would let the captain know.
We had full view of the water and marina as well as the arrival our fellow passengers, congregating at the top of the ramp leading to the dock. A few minutes before general boarding, two gentlemen came up the ramp, crossed the street to where we sat. One introduced himself as the captain, the other man as his bosun who would now take us onto the boat. Picking up my cane, we crossed the street, walking past the 40 people waiting to come aboard as well. I was embarrassed and although I couldn’t see their faces, I felt 80 eyes watching me. Trying to stay focused on my cane, my steps and the shorthand cues Mister Rain was providing me about the terrain, I wondered if they felt sorry for me or were they annoyed that we had been allowed to board first? Always honest with you, up until the day before I lost my sight, had I been in that crowd and seen me, my first reaction would have been pity. Even now when I notice someone in a wheelchair, despite knowing what I know now, that is still a thought.
What I hope, though, that the people standing by to watch whales first saw a woman with limited vision boarding a boat for a unique experience, that she was not going to stop living a full and adventurous life just because she couldn’t see properly. I hope that even for just a second, they were grateful for their working eyes, that they thought about something they were hesitant to do, reconsidering after witnessing my walk to the vessel. Trying to strike a balance between looking as best I could at the ground and holding my head high, I smiled. I was going whale watching on a beautiful fall day in a state 3,000 miles away from home, damaged optic nerves be damned.
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