August 25 - Counting My Blessings

What a great summer this has been for us! From the beginning of June onwards, Lyle and I have been able to spend a huge amount of time with both our grandchildren. This has meant a lot of driving for Lyle although we did fly to PEI when we met our Calgary family there. I am just counting my blessings that we have two such wonderful grandchildren and that we are fortunate enough to have the time and resources to see them as much as we do.

What does this post have to do with White Cane Connections, you might ask. Well, I suppose not too too much. I think that what I would like to say is that we all have challenges in our lives – some more so than others – but hopefully we can also look for the blessings and be grateful. I know that our grandchildren fall into that category for us

There are two pictures with this post.  The first is of our granddaughter, Lexi. It was taken in a vineyard in B.C. The second picture is of Lyle, our son, and grandson. It was taken at a campground in Winnipeg.

Lyle and I are counting our blessings!

 

Sue and Lexi at vineyard

Lyle, Benji, and Jonathan at the park

August 18 - Here and There

“Put it over here please.” Or, “It’s right over there.”

What significance do the two words, here and there, hold for someone with little or no sight? By themselves the two words here and there mean nothing to me. Unless there is some additional information such as, “Please put the book there on the mantle over the fireplace,” or “The object you are looking for is here in the centre of the table by the window.” The indication of here and there loses value. I need more information. I suppose that is one difference between having sight and having little or no sight.

If we are sitting at the kitchen table and I am looking for the margarine, for instance, someone who is unaware of the problem might respond, “It’s just there.” Lyle knows better. His response might be, “It’s right there in front of you and a little to the right of your water glass.” This additional information is helpful especially when there are more than two of us at the table and the table centre might be cluttered with other objects – condiments, bread, pickles and of course the margarine itself. I might know where I have placed everything initially when I set the table, but things do tend to get passed around and I lose track of where the individual items are located.

Another example of the here and there conundrum often occurs when I ask someone for directions. I might be walking along, looking for a specific address. It is quite useless if the person I ask responds with something like the following:

“Oh, you are quite close. It’s just down there on your left.”

I presume that the person might be pointing in a particular direction, but I am usually unable to see the pointed finger. Also, what does “quite close” actually mean? Does it mean ten paces or fifty? Does it mean this block or the next or does “quite close” mean I still have another half kilometer to walk?  The fact that I might be using my white cane doesn’t always impinge on the other person’s understanding of my dilemma.

Ah, the puzzles of language! It is interesting that the two little words, here and there, can be so nebulous, and in their use can mark the separation between someone who can see and someone who cannot.

August 9 - Looks Worse Than It Is

It looks worse than it is. At least, that is my medical opinion. I think that I am correct with this assessment because my knee does feel better than when I incurred the initial injury.

It has been a week now and I am no longer wearing a  splint although I do find the crutches helpful in moving around. Looking back, I wonder just how much of my twist and turn was due to my limited sight in judging the height of the fence I was attempting to negotiate and how much was due to poor balance and just bad luck. I am always careful on steps and stairs so one would think that I would also pay more attention when it comes to clambering over fences. I guess that the lesson must be, Live and Learn!

It is a few days since I began to write this post and my initial assessment might have been a bit optimistic. I have now been to the doctor and physiotherapist. Apparently I can expect to be hobbling around for another few weeks yet. However, I will need to wear a knee brace instead of the full leg splint I am wearing in the following picture.

In the picture I am standing with my crutches. I have a mid-thigh to ankle splint on my left leg. 

Sue with crutches and splint

August 4 - White Cane Mobility

Until this past week I don’t think that I realized just how much I depend on my white cane to “see” my way around. Last week I injured my knee and ended up using crutches. While the crutches proved to be a good support for my knee, they were fairly useless when it came to seeing and feeling my way walking forward.

When I use my white cane, I put it out in front of me to detect obstacles in my path. The cane lets me know if I am coming to a raised edge or step, or if there is a step down or a depression in the path. I can feel a fire hydrant or post before I come into contact with it. This wasn’t the case with the crutches. The tips of the crutches moved only a very short distance in front of where I was walking and several times I was jarred by small changes in the level of the sidewalk.

Fortunately, I am now able to hobble along with the aid of a support cane. It is better than the crutches but still not as good as the white cane I use for mobility. In the future, I will try to be more appreciative of my cane and the way it benefits my mobility.