A Different Kind of Blindness

I once lived in a city where I often used public transportation. The city buses clearly marked the first row of seats for handicapped and elderly folks. One morning on the way to work, I boarded the bus and took my seat several rows back. It was crowded but there were still seats available here and there if you looked. An older man stepped aboard, paid his fare, and expected to sit in the front row. Instead, he saw a young, healthy-looking gentleman sitting there. He became irate by this obviously selfish transgression and castigated the young man in a loud voice for all to hear. After finishing with a prolonged look of disdain, he turned to find an empty seat just a few rows back. The young man shifted uncomfortably and remained quiet. Several minutes later, the bus lurched to a halt at the next step. And out from under the seat of the young man in the first row lept a guide dog, trained to help his blind master exit the bus while the bus driver waited patiently. The elderly man stared in disbelief at the guide dog and the young blind man as they exited, averting his eyes from others until he reached his destination and left quickly without a word.

There are different kinds of blindness, apparently.

I look forward to exploring this together on Sunday!

Steve Engstrom+