Country Parson is going to take a few weeks off. My wife and I will be on a relatively small cruise ship, sailing up the inland passage to Alaska, down the Aleutian Island chain, and eventually ending in Tokyo. The journey will take about twenty-five days.
A few people have wondered how a mostly blind man can enjoy a trip that involves so much “seeing” of sights and navigating unfamiliar places.
Like most blind people, I am not totally blind. I still have visual perception. I’m aware of objects and movement, and I’m usually able to place them in context and give them meaning. That means I can appreciate vistas of mountains, valleys, and oceans, even if I can’t see fine details. My wife provides the color commentary—telling me about animals, glaciers, and distinctive features. The same is true for museums and historical sites. Many docents are generous enough to let me get close to objects, sometimes even allowing me to touch artifacts.
Another fascinating thing is the power of the brain to construct images. I lost most of my sight about four years ago, after a lifetime of storing up detailed visual memories. My brain now takes what limited input it can still receive and combines it with my wife’s descriptions to create fairly vivid mental pictures. I suspect they are often quite accurate. When I think back on places we’ve visited, I believe I can actually see them in my memory.
Getting around on the ship is not difficult. Once I’ve mapped the layout in my head, I usually know exactly where I am. The only real challenge comes when too many people are moving in too many directions at once. Extremely crowded places can feel chaotic, the patterns of motion hard to interpret. That’s when I rely on my wife’s elbow in one hand and my white cane in the other, trusting her not to steer us into disaster. So far, so good.
BON VOYAGE Steven!
Have a wonderful trip. We’ll miss you in Zoom Bible Study.
Have so much fun!!