Kathy,
That episode was my next thought, but it was the rest of the people around
Hawkeye who figured they had his solution to his problem and tried so hard
to impose it on him that rang more true to me at the time. In the end the
problem was in his head which has more to do with the post you said here,
in dealing with other's reactions to our handicap. If it isn't "How do you
do it! You are simply amazing Kathy. I mean you can breathe on your own and
everything without seeing. I know I'd have trouble doing that!" or "Would
you like steak sauce with your steak mam? And would you like for me to cut
it up for you? Better yet I can chew it up and spit it back on your plate
for you if you like, would that be good?" Obviously exaggerating to make a
point, and many times people do offer help sensibly, but we do tend to deal
with the entire enchilada of either disrespect and tossed off as worthless
all the way to patronizing as if we were children. And I'm not sure your
visual acuity but I think you have some useable sight, which makes it worse
as if you carry a cane, you can see mothers grabbing their kids pulling
them aside to save their lives. Yesterday my daughter and I were in the
parking lot headed to a store, and a car completely stopped the minute she
saw me, and I wasn't even close to her or in her way or the like. My wife
thinks it is funny to watch people clear out she says it's like parting the
Red Sea hahaha. I do agree though we do find value that perhaps others do
not take the time, or are forced to take the time to notice things we do. I
am grateful for those things, but not blindness.
Brad
Yah Brad,
That's pretty good, but I'm surprised that you didn't go back to the
one where the heater blows up in the nurses tent and Hawkeye is
temporarily blinded. True, he did regain his sight in the end, but
when he finally had to sit down with BJ and talk about what the
experience was doing for him mentally was pretty good. I just don't
think that people take the time to appreciate what they have and
while we wish that we had what sighted people have, what we often do
have is a different perspective that should be listened too. In that
episode, when Hawkeye says that rain hitting the ground sounds a lot
like steak barbecuing, even I hadn't made that connection
before. The trick is, how do we value our perspective enough to be
sure that we are heard and appreciated. You know, part of the
frustration is that we are limited by other people's expectations of
what we can do as a blind person. Sometimes, I wonder if other
people's attitudes are a bigger handicap than the blindness
itself. If we could see, not only could we do things, but
relationships would change and, we hope, be easier, because we won't
have to sell ourselves so hard any more. We will be appreciated for
what we can do rather than what amazing featts that we can perform
despite our blindness! I know, I'm wandering far a field now, but
somehow, in my female brain that makes vast and wide sweeping
connections, there is a point here. Let me know when you find it.
Kathy
At 07:10 PM 1/24/2006, you wrote:
>Kathy,
>
>I appreciate both your camaraderie and interjection of opposing, or points
>for consideration. Now a MASH recital? Ooooh by sundown? Um I had to run
>into the cities to get a new router, my old one kept kicking me off line,
>and you are an hour ahead so I missed that deadline. But let's see what I
>can come up with. If any of you aren't MASH freaks as some of us are, you
>can delete at this point hahaha.
>
>OK. I think this will work. I just saw this one too as we picked up the 9th
>season and watching it. There is the episode where Hawkeye finds himself
>sneezing uncontrollably. The others in camp Colonel Potter, Margaret, BJ,
>Klinger and etc. all have their suggestion as to what the problem is. Doc
>Potter says he needed a shower to clean out what might be allergenic to him
>and the steam won't hurt his hooter. Margaret said Oil of Eucalyptus, BJ
>said Camphorated Oil and Klinger with his concoction of herbs spices and
>garlic called an Asiphidety bag. Here is Hawkeye with this ailment not
>knowing why it is happening and all these people with their reasons why.
>Meanwhile he worsens and finally they'd checked him for everything and then
>finally call in Sidney Friedman, the head doctor. They do a bit of talking,
>a bit of digging around the old cob webs and find the problem is all in his
>head, something he believed or thought, and created the problem.
>
>I guess that is similar. Many others feeling pity and offering suggestion
>in life, and yet since I do have faith, have put my heart and faith on the
>line, can only assume God is just, right and knows why and my problem of
>why this is happening is in my head for me to work out in time. I might not
>be healed because of it, but I will have put it to rest after I know the
>score. Until then?
>ah'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'ahchoo, ah'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'ahchoo ah'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'ahchoo
>ah'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'ahchoo, a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'achoo
>
>hahaha.
>
>I might have done better for an example had I thought of more but it was
>first in mind and as usual, out it comes.
>
>Brad
At 11:06 AM 1/25/2006 -0500, you wrote:
>Yah Brad,
>That's pretty good, but I'm surprised that you didn't go back to the
>one where the heater blows up in the nurses tent and Hawkeye is
>temporarily blinded. True, he did regain his sight in the end, but
>when he finally had to sit down with BJ and talk about what the
>experience was doing for him mentally was pretty good. I just don't
>think that people take the time to appreciate what they have and
>while we wish that we had what sighted people have, what we often do
>have is a different perspective that should be listened too. In that
>episode, when Hawkeye says that rain hitting the ground sounds a lot
>like steak barbecuing, even I hadn't made that connection
>before. The trick is, how do we value our perspective enough to be
>sure that we are heard and appreciated. You know, part of the
>frustration is that we are limited by other people's expectations of
>what we can do as a blind person. Sometimes, I wonder if other
>people's attitudes are a bigger handicap than the blindness
>itself. If we could see, not only could we do things, but
>relationships would change and, we hope, be easier, because we won't
>have to sell ourselves so hard any more. We will be appreciated for
>what we can do rather than what amazing featts that we can perform
>despite our blindness! I know, I'm wandering far a field now, but
>somehow, in my female brain that makes vast and wide sweeping
>connections, there is a point here. Let me know when you find it.
>
>Kathy
>
>
>At 07:10 PM 1/24/2006, you wrote:
> >Kathy,
> >
> >I appreciate both your camaraderie and interjection of opposing, or points
> >for consideration. Now a MASH recital? Ooooh by sundown? Um I had to run
> >into the cities to get a new router, my old one kept kicking me off line,
> >and you are an hour ahead so I missed that deadline. But let's see what I
> >can come up with. If any of you aren't MASH freaks as some of us are, you
> >can delete at this point hahaha.
> >
> >OK. I think this will work. I just saw this one too as we picked up the 9th
> >season and watching it. There is the episode where Hawkeye finds himself
> >sneezing uncontrollably. The others in camp Colonel Potter, Margaret, BJ,
> >Klinger and etc. all have their suggestion as to what the problem is. Doc
> >Potter says he needed a shower to clean out what might be allergenic to him
> >and the steam won't hurt his hooter. Margaret said Oil of Eucalyptus, BJ
> >said Camphorated Oil and Klinger with his concoction of herbs spices and
> >garlic called an Asiphidety bag. Here is Hawkeye with this ailment not
> >knowing why it is happening and all these people with their reasons why.
> >Meanwhile he worsens and finally they'd checked him for everything and then
> >finally call in Sidney Friedman, the head doctor. They do a bit of talking,
> >a bit of digging around the old cob webs and find the problem is all in his
> >head, something he believed or thought, and created the problem.
> >
> >I guess that is similar. Many others feeling pity and offering suggestion
> >in life, and yet since I do have faith, have put my heart and faith on the
> >line, can only assume God is just, right and knows why and my problem of
> >why this is happening is in my head for me to work out in time. I might not
> >be healed because of it, but I will have put it to rest after I know the
> >score. Until then?
> >ah'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'ahchoo, ah'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'ahchoo ah'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'ahchoo
> >ah'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'ahchoo, a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'achoo
> >
> >hahaha.
> >
> >I might have done better for an example had I thought of more but it was
> >first in mind and as usual, out it comes.
> >
> >Brad
Brad
You are richer today if you have laughed, given, or forgiven
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