Deth

Fitness and everything else

Being Visually Impaired, Walking Into Things Could Be The Story Of My Life

I make it no secret that I am visually impaired and have been so since birth. Growing up I had plenty of times where I wished that it wasn’t the case and I could just be normal but I learned to accept it as just being part of who I am. It doesn’t define me but it’s a part of who I am. Along with that comes the embarrassing thing of occasionally walking into things. I can’t even say that it embarrasses me anymore because I just laugh it off.

Yesterday at the mall we were walking on the sidewalk outside towards the entrance. It was a bright sunny day but the sun was on the opposite side of the building so half of the sidewalk was in a dark shadow. The sun was also reflecting super brightly off of some of the cars going past directly into my eyes.

When the lighting is terrible like that for me that’s when I can almost count on an completely unseen to me obstacle on the sidewalk. The timing was perfect that a car was passing with the focused sun reflecting off of it’s windows brightly enough that I saw purple spots afterwards. Sure enough I didn’t even see that stupid bike rack and walked directly into it full speed. Normally If I do walk into something like this I see it at the last possible second and just don’t have time to avoid it. Today the case was different. I didn’t even see it or know it was there until I hit it and heard the metal pipe frame ringing as I walked into it 😆

We had the grand daughter with us so once I knew I was okay I walked away to mumble a few choice words under my breath and when I came back I heard her saying she felt bad because she wanted to laugh. I laughed it off after I walked it off. The corner of the pipe on the bike rack when straight into my hip flexor. I guess it could’ve been worse I was a few inches to the left 😆

These things will happen. I do get annoyed though when it’s stuff that is blocking a walkway that doesn’t need to be there. There are several businesses in town that do that with signs or displays. but luckily I’ve learned where they are and expect it. One of these days I may go in and talk to the owner to suggest that they relocate the displays.

We all do stupid shit. You just have to learn to laugh at it.