Enjoy!
- J
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My
entire life I have always had great vision – I never needed glasses or
contacts, I’ve been able to read signs and whiteboards from far away, and it’s
been a bragging point among my friends with less than normal vision. I’ve been blindfolded before and I’ve walked
around in nearly perfect dark before without a problem, so I felt that this
assignment was sure to be a breeze. To
my surprise, two hours without my sight was a greater challenge than I
anticipated.
I
slipped the blindfold over my eyes and adjusted it until the light was almost
totally blocked out. I tried to block
all light, but some still peaked through.
I was in the car with my brother on my way to my parents’ house and the
drive seemed to take much longer than normal.
I managed to get from the car to the door alright, though I had to side
step to the walkway rather than cutting across the grass like I normally
do. I’m pretty familiar with my parents’
house, so I was able to trust my memory and get around inside fairly well. I fumbled around to find my spot on the couch
a time or two, realized that I had over shot where I wanted to sit, and had to
scoot down a bit. I felt my way along
the walls, but doing so was familiar and normal.
I
asked my brother to read the questions I needed to be thinking over as I was
blind folded and he was kind enough to help me out. I must also confess that sitting comfortably
in the dark like that I fell asleep for a few minutes. All in all, the only real startling events
were nearly tripping and falling over some boxes that aren’t normally on the
floor and walking into the edge of the open door as we left for lunch. Getting back to the car was fine, though I
totally missed the sliding door and my mom had to open it for me. The ride to pick up my aunt and to the
restaurant, again, felt like they took much longer than they usually do.
Arriving
at the restaurant, we had to jump out of the car so my brother could go park
it. Normally, this is no big deal: he
pulls over, we jump out and go inside, he parks and then joins us. However, this routine activity made me feel
surprisingly nervous. I realized that I
wasn’t going to be in the comfort of my own home where I felt comfortable
getting around without my sight, but out and about with other people in a place
that, despite some level of familiarity, was still foreign. I also realized that I was going to be
getting out of the safety of the family car into a parking lot with other cars
that I couldn’t see. I almost stayed in
the car and walked in with my brother, but, thinking that this was exactly what
I was supposed to experience, I decided to be bold.
When
I got out, I asked my aunt if I could hang onto her. She said that I could and a wave of relief
washed over me. I didn’t have to walk
alone! In keeping next to her, however,
I did step on her heals because I was so anxious to stay close. We got inside, and I was grateful I knew the
menu well enough that I didn’t have to ask someone to read it for me. I was noticed I wanted to hang close to my mom,
and even kept my hand on her back so that I knew where she was. I played like I knew where I was, though I
eventually had to ask someone to put me where I needed to be so I could tell
the line cooks what I wanted. When we got
down to the register, I handed my card to the cashier, who ran it and then put it
back into my open hand, then my mom asked me how I was going to sign the
receipt. I told her that I would sign
wherever she put the pen down for me which I did.
We
finish paying, and then we (or rather they)
go look for a seat. Normally, I grab the
tray and walk to find somewhere, however this time I just held onto my mom and
stepped on her heals as we found a table.
We sat down and they went to get drinks.
My aunt stayed with me so I didn’t have to sit alone in the dark. As they walked off, my mom said, “Watch my
purse!” I could almost hear the smile on
her face. My aunt then asked why I was
blindfolded and I told her about the assignment. I had to ask her where my food was, to which
she responded, “Right in front of you.”
I asked her to put the dressing on my salad because I didn’t want to get
any of it on the table. She did and I
could feel her smile: everyone was getting a good laugh from this. I felt around, found my fork, and then
started eating – which was surprisingly difficult. I couldn’t see where my food was and had to
feel around for it with my other hand. By
this time, my mom and brother got back with drinks and I had to ask where they
set it down, to which all three of them answered in nearly perfect unison,
“Right in front of you.”
I
knew the two hour mark was coming up and I was getting anxious to see
again. I missed being in perfect control
of my movements and directions, I wanted to see my aunt’s new shirt, and I
wanted to hunt and kill my brother for the torture he was putting me
through. I have rarely been so poked and
prodded in a single hour in my life! I
would get poked in the nose with a straw, I’d swat at it, and he’d giggle. Then I’d get poked in the ear with it and
then in the other ear with it.
Eventually I’d start swatting at nothing and he’d laugh. My mom and aunt were no help whatsoever and
sat back enjoying the show.
Finally the two hour mark came and I pull the
bandanna off, open my eyes, and then had to shut them again because of the
light that assaulted my retina. Blinking,
I looked around at the world around me. Everything
looked odd. Colors were all pastels and
the lights had little halos (probably from the too tight bandanna). I liked my aunt’s shirt. My brother had taken off running.
Heading out to the car, I kept my eyes shut so
I could take more time to adjust to the light.
The car ride took less time than it had before. It felt strange to see again – strange in a
way that I cannot describe. It felt
familiar and foreign all at once. I felt very helpless without sight and I was
relieved when it came back. I was quiet
and reflective as I again saw the world around me. There was so much that I just took for
granted with my vision and I never stopped to consider how much sight is a part
of me.
