For fun and adventure, try “blind for a day”

 

Do you ever find yourself wanting a little extra adventure but not sure what to do?

 

Let me suggest something I’ve done—and thoroughly enjoyed—several times: being "blind for a day."

 

I’ve done this in New York City (at least twice, once riding the subway), San Francisco, Phoenix, Arizona, Tokyo, Japan, and Shanghai, China.

 

​

Let me tell you about the time I was blind for a day in San Francisco

 

For preparation, I checked the money in my wallet, putting in order the $1, $5, $10, $20 bills. I also had a walking cane and a blindfold to cover my eyes.

 

​

With blinders and a cane

​

I took the bus to Chinatown. Standing on the street corner, I put the blindfold over my eyes, ensuring I couldn’t see. Then I started walking slowly along the sidewalk, using the cane as an aid to stay on the sidewalk and not stumble onto the street.

 

Whenever I reached a curb, which I could feel with my cane or my feet, I would wait until someone offered to assist me across the street, which never took very long.

 

​

A restaurant entices me with the aroma wafting onto the sidewalk

​

I noticed some great smells and knew that I was passing a restaurant moved toward the smells and awkwardly felt my way into the restaurant. The waitress helped me to my seat and I asked her to read some items to me from the chicken section of the menu.

 

​

Did I remember correctly which money was which in my wallet?

​

After eating slowly and carefully, taking special care when I reached for my glass of water, I noticed that I enjoyed the food more than I normally would. Unsure of which bill I had taken out of my wallet to pay the check, I held it up and asked the couple at the next table, whom I had heard talking, what denomination the bill was. This way, I knew whether it was enough to pay for my lunch.

 

​

Some temporary friends helped on my trek to Ghirardelli Square

​

Once back on the street,  I decided to walk down to Ghirardelli Square, about 12 blocks away.

For the first three crossings, I waited for a new person to offer assistance each time. On the fourth crossing, the man who helped me across insisted on going all the way to the square with me, warning me gently when I had to either step down from or up onto the curb.

 

​

Talking Blind for Two and a Half Hours

​

Once I reached Ghirardelli Square, with the help of my companion, I found a bench to sit on. Over the next two and a half hours I talked with two men about life. When they asked me about my eyes, I made up a story that I had just had a radial keratotomy (a type of eye operation) and I needed the blinders for only a few days. They were amazed that I would venture out on my own in such a condition.

 

​

Discovering a new world without my sight

​​

In addition to a heightened appreciation for touch, sound, and smell, I also noticed another interesting and refreshing phenomenon: I was less judgmental of these two men when I couldn’t see them!

 

​

Getting on a bus

​

With the help of some people, I was able to get onto the right bus to return to my hotel. Other passengers let me know when I should get off the bus, warning me well in advance. I ended my adventure by removing my blinders once I stepped off the bus.

 

​

The world felt fresh and new again.

 

What new insight about yourself and your life might you discover if you were blind for a day?

 

What courage might you be choosing if you were blind for a day?

 

 

"Adventure is not outside man; it is within."
-David Grayson (1870-1946, American journalist and writer)

 

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open."

-Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964, Indian nationalist, statesman)