Many people have asked me about my positive although sometimes quirky attitude about my oncoming blindness. Where do I get it? I have some older friends who share this disease that have tread the path before me, and I draw my strength from them. Talked to one of them tonight. At the end of the conversation, he said something that really hit home with me...
"Being blind isn't so hot, but you know, it could be worse. I may not be able to see my grandson, but I can hear him laugh. When he climbs into my lap, I can hold him and hug him."
This from a man who had to retire a few years back because of his sight loss, then watched his world go completely dark in the next couple of years. Think about the fear that he felt, the helplessness, then read those words again. I can't wait to see him in July.
Another guy from our group, whom Kat has had the pleasure of meeting, once posted to the list about the day he lost his sight....
"A couple years ago my field was down to no more than five degrees. One morning I went into the bathroom and tried to turn on the light and found it was burned out. Later, when I tried to change the bulb, I found the light was on all the time. I had lost the remaining sight overnight. After an hour of carrying on I suddenly realized that not much had changed. I found the fear of going blind was much worse than the actual fact. I think it’s the fear of the unknown that scares us so much…. We can’t let the fear of the unknown paralyze us into seclusion and missing out on life. Believe me, life doesn’t stop because someone turned off the lights."
He actually, literally, tried to change the bulb. You've gotta smile...
This is what keeps me going. I still have that childish fear of the dark, but you know, with people like this leading the way for me, that fear has been reduced dramatically...
Cory
"Opponents cannot exhaust you." - The Art Of War
