October 24 - White Cane Practice

Instead of White Cane Practice, I possibly should have titled this post White Cane OUT of Practice. Over the past eighteen plus months, Lyle and I haven’t really gone anywhere, and so I haven’t been using my white cane much either. Instead, when I have walked the familiar river trail in our local area, I have often used a pair of walking sticks. The sticks are just like the poles used for cross country skiing. The sticks are good for arm exercise and balance. Also, when my sticks hit the dirt at the edge of the asphalt, I know that I have ventured off the trail itself.

The downside is that being blue the sticks don’t alert anyone else to my vision issues.  This is when I need a white cane – not just to alert other walkers on the trail but also to give myself a heads up if there are obstacles in my path.

I was reminded of all this last week when Lyle had an appointment in the city and I decided to go along for the ride. When we arrived in the parking lot, and as it was some distance from the office building, I had half thought that I might use my walking sticks. However, I had only taken a few steps away from the car when I realized the error of my ways. What had I been thinking! The walk in the city was definitely not my familiar trail by the river.

The parking lot had those cement blocks separating parking spots. On the street, there were fire hydrants and sloping driveways. The sidewalk was also obstructed by little decorative trees and the latest horror for someone with limited sight – electric bikes or scooters parked at random intervals and not necessarily pushed off the sidewalk. I always have my cane with me in the vehicle, and boy was I glad that I had it with me that day!

So now I had had an instant refresher course in white cane use. The experience has reminded me that I should continue to practice using my white cane. I am looking forward to the time when I will once again be able to travel beyond my own familiar area and for that I will need the use of my cane. Hopefully, next time I write of this, the title, White Cane Practice will be a legitimate subject line.