Comments on: On letting go of my visual life

By: L. Legendary

L. Legendary — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:35:12 +0000

Thank you for your thoughtful comments, Jeremiah, and for being a loyal reader. Everyone experiences life’s trials and tribulations, few walk through it untouched. I do believe that how we perceive our particular circumstances is more a matter of our choosing than not. By sharing our experiences, both the good and the not so good, we can lighten another’s burden…if for no other reason than by doing so, we havve declared, “you are not alone.”

By: Jeremiah

Jeremiah — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:45:38 +0000

As someone who has always been totally blind, I’ve read this post and replies probably five times in the last few months, and appreciate them more each time. I don’t appreciate that each of you are in the midst of what is to me an unimaginable, heartbreaking scenario, of course, but I appreciate your kindness and generosity to share a glimpse into your experience. It’s extraordinarily easy for me to grossly underestimate the “task” of learning to live a someone who is blind, and I often feel inadequate when asked to give encouragement or council to someone who is or will be, but hasn’t always been, blind like me. Your thoughts will contribute to me working harder to be of better service to others, and that’s a debt I’m glad to owe.

By: Author's Note

Author's Note — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 21:43:35 +0000

Mina, first, thank you for sharing your own story. I’ve been so touched by what you wrote that I’ve been thinking about how to respond. I know your comment touched others, too, because they have told me so. If it’s all right with you, I’d like to respond more fully to you privately, so if there is anything I can do for you, you’ll have my email address. As I’m sure you’ve discovered by now, the place you occupy in your new world of just two years can feel like an isolated one. It can seem like a world replete with little more than worthless cliches and maddening advice from others who do not live your experience. No one can know what burdens we each carry, and input useful to one may be unworkable to another. The keys of life seldom open more than one door. With that in mind, I will offer suggestions only when asked, and if I may be of some assistance to you, I’m here. There is also a world of others who are on the same path, but who may be ahead of or behind us, brilliant, beautiful travelers who are blind who will help.

Look for an email soon from Laura at Accessible Insights.

By: Mina

Mina — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 16:02:22 +0000

You could always request in your will that the photos be burned after your death. Like a kind of cremation ritual, as you might not want anyone to collect them for any reason. A time will come, far into the future, when such photos will be glorified as antiques of a bygone era and the future’s people will stare at them curiously and try to imatgine the “primitive” cameras that snapped them.

I had lost my sight two years ago and I am still trying to transition into giving up my visual life. I still have useless stuff I can no longer use but I have two issues I face. One, the motional ties they have. Two, the difficulty of finding an accessible place to sell them online.

Then there’s a third issue. How do I handle the clothes I can no longer remember, but still have? I cannot tell what colour they are, nor what style they are, nor how they look on me. A few I never wore, the rest is dropped from memory. I find the whole situation very frustrating.

On top of all this, I am re-learning how to read by learning braille. I have an easier time with jumbo braille than typical braille. But still, there’s part of me that just wants me to give up and never mind becoming literate again. Just die as a person without killing yourself. Let yourself go, and hope you die of heartbreak. Makes one wonder where the real danger is; the depression that makes one believe this–and I shed a tear here–or the loss of what I had unknowingly took for granted.

Peace.

By: Author's Note

Author's Note — Thu, 31 May 2012 02:15:12 +0000

Natalie, as usual, your comments are thoughtful and astute. In examining my feelings upon discovering the box, I felt conflicted, as I described. In reality, though, tossing out the lot of it is really unthinkable. Your observation about the emotional and spiritual value really rang true. In some cultures, the nature of a photograph is to capture the essence of the subject’s soul. For that reason, some indiginous peoples abhor the taking of their picture. Based upon the responses to my post so far, there seems to be arguments to be made on both sides. I’ve heard both. Truthfully, there’s no really compelling reason to throw them away. They’ve lived comfortably in the box for this long, I think they can remain there a bit longer. I’ll bet I can find something else to throw away instead. Thanks, Natalie.

By: Natalie P.

Natalie P. — Thu, 31 May 2012 01:48:49 +0000

Wow. Amazing reflection. Preparing to move, we’ve been amazed at the collection of ‘things’ we’ve amassed. Some things feel like emotional albatrosses around my neck. And some things feel like touchstones of what made me who I am today.
Sometimes we keep things even though they seem to have no ‘practical value’… but the emotional, spiritual value is beyond measure…