Can I really see?

“We are blind as we want to be. ~Maya Angelou”

“There’s the yellow line Sebastian, step back please“, I told to someone at the train station who is destitute of vision.

He stopped, turned towards me and told, “Hello, but we haven’t met before have we?“.

It took me a couple of seconds to reply and told, “No, but we were supposed to have lunch together, it got postponed.”

He replied, “Yes, I remember that. You’re Charu right?”

Again, a little taken aback and amused, I continued talking. The train came and we boarded it. I helped in the slightest way to find him a seat and took a seat opposite to him. We started talking.

Next 9 minutes, were really amazing. Why?

Because he made me realize that if you don’t have one ability, you can always be stronger and still lead a normal life. One of the best developers in our department, I always have seen him but this is the first time we spoke.

Then the normal conversation about where we live and what we do after work. I was really happy to hear that he makes sure he goes to the gym once  a week, no matter what. He changes 2 trains to reach the gym. And then again to reach home.

The excitement in his voice while explaining about his trip to Cuba cannot be explained. He shared that he learned Salsa in Cuba and was really happy with the quick course he got to do there. Spoke like every other normal(with vision) person how beautiful the place is and how much he enjoyed.

I had to unfortunately get off the train and hoped to see him soon for lunch.

Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2012/02/13/146812288/braille-under-siege-as-blind-turn-to-smartphones

Today, after over a month, we had out lunch. Thanks to another office feature, where we can register for a lunch date with colleagues and you never know which other 3 people you meet and eat with.

I was kinda low all day since morning, due to some stressful days last few days but the 1 hour with him and other 2 colleagues, made my day.

As overwhelming as it sounds, it was much more than that. I’ve been so motivated for facing the next few days, just for the fact that if there is a problem, then stay strong and move on, POSITIVELY. It’s absolutely lovely to see this in real.

While going back after lunch, he was explaining about the gadget that he wears (a tiny one), which is simply a mini PC. I don’t really understand yet how it works but I did get the fact, that it helps him read, and program and basically work like all of us. He explained some parts of this gadget that he programmed himself, byte by byte.

Coming from a country where I have personally have never seen any kind of infrastructure for someone with an impairment, this is a real big step for me to learn. Not just the working part, or the fact of living independently alone, or the fact that there is help for them, but most importantly, leading an inspirational life. And being happy, simply happy.

I’ve spoken to him just twice, but hope that number increases over time and I continue to learn and get inspired. Thank you, so much for the inspiration and food for thought, for the weekend.

Makes me wonder if I can really see even with the blessing of vision… Sometimes it’s beyond what we just have to see. The reality. The happiness. And things beyond just seeing things.

Inspiration, motivation, learning, and happiness is all around us. Apart from all the other things that may not be so nice. It’s up to us what and how we choose to reflect and make choices for our life.

Have a nice weekend 🙂

Keep smiling and stay strong 🙂