Unfortunately this week Lyle has developed a really bad cold. He sounds and feels absolutely terrible, so I have taken the opportunity to practise my independence. I find that unless I practise those skills I lose both competence and confidence. So, I have been to the grocery store to buy milk, been to the drug store to buy medication for Lyle, and met friends for coffee and walked one kilometer back home, crossing busy streets and avoiding one area under new or unexpected construction.
Yesterday I left Lyle sleeping and snoring softly and I headed down to the outdoor pool. I just finishing my laps when someone else got into the hot tub. After few minutes I joined him and we exchanged comments about the weather and the water temperature. Wishing to extend the conversation I then asked the stranger, "So, do you live here full time?" There was a significant pause and I wondered if he had heard me. Then he answered, "What do you mean?"
I thought my question had been fairly obvious, but perhaps the man was just obtuse, so I tried rephrasing. "Do you come here part-time or are you a renter or full-time owner?"
There was another pause before Lyle said, "I am your husband, so I only come here when I am with you!"
Yes, it was Lyle, with the deep throaty voice he had acquired with his cold, and because I hadn't expected to see him down at the pool, I hadn't recognized him. So sad, and yet so funny. When I told our daughter about the incident she bust out laughing.
Not recognising people is a common enough problem for those of us with limited or no sight. I am always grateful when people identify themselves by name when they meet me. That way I don't have to rely on recognising them by my fallible skill at identifying them by sight or sound.
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