The afternoon sun bakes the playground equipment. Climbing trees and swinging in the shade provides temporary relief for the six of us. In time we slow down.
“Are you too tired to walk to get a treat?” my friend asks one of her children.
“No!” is the response with renewed energy.
We leave the small park, using a dirt access path through the grass. One of the preschoolers turns to me and points to my white cane. “Why are you using that?”
“Oh.” I say, collecting my thoughts as I squat down to his level. “My eyes don’t work as well as yours so this helps me get around, like around stairs, so I don’t trip. I’ll show you at the curb.”
We move towards the street, and I demo how my cane finds the hard curb, slides across it, hovers in the air before locating the road below. “Then I step down.”
We cross the street and I listen but he doesn’t have any more questions. He wondered, I answered, and he learned. We move on to more pressing matters like how many blocks it is to the neighborhood ice cream shop.
Have you fielded any good questions lately? What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Tell me about it.
Adventures in Low Vision 