I've been meanin' to blog this and Adam being at BWI reminded me...

When Vic and I were there (in the BWI airport) on our way home from the hellish trip a few weeks ago we stopped at Starbucks to get Vic a fix (I passed...I like to avoid airplane bathrooms...fat girls get stuck in there, ya know). So I was standing off to the side when I noticed the man in front of Vic was blind and alone...with only a stick, no dog or anything. I was watching him...because, well, he couldn't see me staring...and I was interested. I love assistive technology even in it's crudest form. SO he orders, sticks his way to the pick up line with the verbal instruction of the counter help, and a few minutes later picks up his piping hot tall coffee. All the while I'm lost in thought about how he even knew there was even a Starbucks there and how his nose must be pretty kick ass and wondering if he smelt his way there...when all of a sudden he turns to take a step and the coffee sloshes ALL over the front of him. Yes, it had a lid...but he had taken it off to put c/s in and didn't get it back on good. I could tell by his facial expression that it hurt like hell so I ran to the counter and grabbed napkins and said "hold out your hand, I have napkins for you." He did, said thanks, cleaned up, fixed the lid, and sticked his way to his gate.

The thing that I could not get over is that I was the ONLY one that acted. Everyone else just stood and stared. I noticed that other people saw what happened but no one wanted to move out of line or offer help. I got his feeling that people were thinking things like "that is what you get for being blind and out alone." Which suchs because even though that might not be what people were thinking...that sure was the way they acted. It was like they didn't know what to do...or say. It just made me really sad for that man and I thought about him the whole rest of the day. And I thought about how lucky I am to have all of my senses. Lucky indeedy, you never know when you can loose them or the ability to walk, etc.

Misti, have you blogged Clayton's update lately? Have we talked about it at all on here? It's a story worth tellin'. An even sadder one....