Walking to get my Dr. Pepper

Yesterday I called Bob and said I was really craving a Dr. Pepper and wondered if he would go to 7-11 with me. He suggested I head out on my own and meet him there. It has been a few weeks since I walked around the Avenues on my own. I put on my snow boots and started my trek. It was the first time this year that I’d been out walking somewhere with all the snow. It’s always so thrilling to be independent as a blind person. I love going places on my own. No one could ever understand that feeling until it is taken away from you. The simple act of running an errand alone means so much. It is hard to get up the courage to explore the world blind. It is definitely uncomfortable and I always feel somewhat uneasy but after I get going it is the best feeling in the world. I will have even more confidence when I am paired with my guide dog in March. For now, I am stuck using my cane. The past few months Bob has set out routes for me to travel with my cane to get practice and more confidence. He follows a few feet behind me as we walk and afterwards we talk about any issues that arose. It has been a lot of fun to do these excursions. I’m so glad that Bob is patient and knows how to help me learn. He is the only person who makes me feel like I am not blind. I guess all his years working in the blind community and getting his Masters degree in this field has greatly influenced my journey. Sometimes I feel like no one in my world really knows what my life is like. Everyone has problems but sometimes I look at things other people are going through and they can find a lot of others who have similar issues who can empathize with them. For example if someone loses their job or loses a loved one they can get on their social media site  and get a lot of people sharing similar experiences. On Facebook I read about all these moms who talk about how hard it is to be a parent and all their one hundred mom friends can offer understanding to them.   I don’t feel like I can share how frustrating it is to go through my day blind because everyone on Facebook would be horrified to contemplate such a thing and they would be uncomfortable hearing my complaints and feelings. I have to just keep it to myself to spare others.