Day 21: Big City Lights

For a woman that has to be the eyes for two people most of my day it can be sometimes overwhelming especially in a crowded jungle of the city streets. When we were younger it was most definitely easier to navigate the elbow to elbow sea of people because it simply didn't exist in the country towns we chose to live in to raise our girls. I simply couldn't imagine living in a busy city like Sydney and have to get 4 little ones and a blind man safely across the road...not even in the so called sleepy country city of Brisbane. Everyone moves so quickly, and streets filled with people and traffic would have crushed our little growing family, or so I perceived. Yes to cope we chose a town that only had one set of lights and the most exciting thing happening was when McDonalds decided to open a store. 

However as the girls got older and my Blindmans career progressed he ended up taking a job in the city. Yes Brisbane was the destination of choice and I was petrified. Taking risks had not been part of my massive action plan at the time, and to me moving to a city, I considered, was a "big risk." Deano had to get himself into the city to work via public transport and that was a very new experience. 

Hustle and Bustle of Queen Street Brisbane

Crossing unknown roads by himself, getting on and off trains without my assistance, navigating bustling crowds and  waiting in lines at the bus station. I mean how does a blind man know when to hale a bus when he can't read the time table and see the bus number let alone see the bus approaching! His hearing was what he relied on along with the trusty cane.

When it came to catching public transport the train was the mode of choice. It really just all came down to the fact that the train guard announced over loud speaker the trains arrival time and where it was due to stop. Trains are predictable. Others on the platform would recognise the need for him to be guided and would often offer to help Deano on and off the carriage. Most people were exceptionally kind to Dean and would offer him up their seat. Being the agile person he is, Deano would often refuse not wanting to take a needed seat away from others who were aged, pregnant or had a "real disability" (because being blind isn't a disability) Yes it was decided that the train was the safest mode of transport for this man. 

It wasn't the train that scared me. It was the stories that he would tell me after his safe return, or someone else would tell me that had spied Dean on his journey to work that had me quacking in my boots.

One such occasion was when a friend who was volunteering at the local school watched Dean cross the road. Yes he waited at the lights and, yes, he heard the lights change when the beeping of the light went from a slow pulse to a fast pulse, however the road was a two way 4 lane tee intersection and for some reason Deano had gotten the beeping sound mixed up as to which set of lights were changing. My blind man deciding it was his turn to cross stepped out onto the four lane road. My friend watched in horror from afar as she was on the other side of the oval witnessing what she though was going to be complete carnage or an absolute miracle. (This road is one of the busiest roads in all of Brisbane) As Deano stepped out into the traffic that is usually flying down that road in a hurry to get to early morning destinations, not one car, bus, truck or bike moved. He crossed safely without a scratch to tell the tale. In fact to this day Deano said he realised he was crossing against the lights once he arrived on the opposite side of the road when the beeping of the lights he was facing was that slow pulse still. Not knowing that a friend had witnessed what had happened I am sure the story would have been kept safely hidden in Dean's memory bank of close calls that he doesn't like to share with me (until years have passed) as it triggers my own anxieties.

You see it's the story our mind writes that creates anxiety. My anxious mind sees Deano getting injured...Deano's risk taking, cool calm and collected mind does not even contemplate danger. Just do it and worry about the consequences later, (that's even if there are any consequences), is his school of thought...and look to be honest I have to agree (although I wouldn't tell him to his face) 99.9 percent of the time he is right! 

Here we are 10 years later telling the story. Even though we have moved a little further out of the city, this kind of living must be growing on us and to tell you the truth...it's not that bad after all!