December 15 - Christmas

Nearly there! Only ten days and Christmas will be here. Lyle and I have had a busy and entertaining past ten days so I am glad that the next ten will be quieter for us.

Over those last ten days, we have managed to be part of an audience for five different concerts and musical shows. It has been great! The added bonus is that all five shows have involved local talent and the productions have all been in a radius of thirty kilometres. Two of the shows have even been within walking distance from our house. All have been excellent.

There has been one small drawback. None of the shows or concerts have had assigned seating. Because of my sight, or should I say limited sight, I like to sit at the very front of an audience. When seating isn’t assigned, this usually means getting to the theatre or facility well in advance of the curtain call.

While I could probably make a fuss about this and speak with the ticket sellers ahead of time, we usually just choose to go early. When we do sit at the front, I sometimes wonder if other people think that we have been given some sort of special privilege. If I know that the theatre is all on one level, I don’t take my white cane. I usually wear my ID badge instead, but that isn’t always visible in a crowd. I hope that people don’t think that I am just being pushy!

I have digressed a little from what I intended to say with this post. I want especially to mention the Christmas concert sponsored by our local funeral home and by other local businesses. This weekend was the third annual Christmas concert. The management team at the funeral home see the concert as a way of giving back to the community, and the performances are free of charge. Lyle and I find this an amazing concept and the quality of the performance is top notch. This year the three shows were performed for sold out audiences.

You can get a glimpse of this if you go to YouTube and check out:

YouTube – Wombold Family Funeral Homes Christmas at Home 2019 Saturday.

{Please note that sound does not begin until 23 minutes into the video.}

There are two pictures with this post. In the first I am sitting in the decorative sleigh outside the front door of the funeral home. In the second picture Lyle and I am standing inside the building in front of the fireplace. There were coloured lights everywhere inside with at least a dozen different sized decorated trees enhancing the Christmas atmosphere.

Lyle and I would like to wish all the readers of this blog a very merry Christmas!

Sue on a sleigh

Lyle and Sue in front of the fireplace

December 7 – Can’t See? Need Help?

This post isn’t about the big picture of not being able to see. Instead, it is about the smaller everyday picture of being without sight. In the big picture, there are optometrists, ophthalmologists, the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) and CCB (Canadian Council for the Blind). In the smaller everyday picture there can be friends and family members who can usually lend a helping hand.

Now, as I said, this post is about the smaller picture and the question is this. Who takes the first step in offering or asking for help? For me, it is a matter of balance. I don’t usually take offence when friends offer assistance but I am sometimes surprised by what is offered and the manner in which it is offered. For instance, the other day I was having lunch with a friend. Before the meal, my friend asked if I needed her to cut my meat for me. I was surprised because nobody had ever offered this assistance to me before. However, my friend had asked this in a caring way and I was able to respond that maybe she could just help by reading the menu for me.

On another note, I often walk with friends on a trail by the river. My friends will usually let me know if there is ice, rain puddles or other obstacles on the trail. I am quite pleased that they think to warn me of these hazards. I wouldn’t be as pleased if they grabbed my arm to pull me aside. I strongly dislike being pulled or even more especially, pushed when someone attempts to so called “guide” me. Pushing or pulling tends to make me lose my balance.

I know that I am a bit sensitive when others comment on my lack of sight. I also know that it must be difficult for other people when they are really just trying to be helpful. I do try to be gracious. I am most appreciative when the offer to help is just general. For example, “Is there anything you need?” Or, “Do you need any help?”

Finally, I recognize my own role in all this. If I need help, I must ask for it. It isn’t enough for me to hope that others will be mind readers. I need to say what it is that I need. In the larger picture, I am fairly passionate about advocating on behalf of people who are blind or partially sighted. I often need to remind myself that I need to also advocate for myself in terms of the smaller everyday picture.