Love is Blind

I've been wanting to share this story for a while now. I haven't had the time to but it was something that actually made me shed a tear; which VERY rarely happens in public. I've seen several people walking around downtown with white canes, obviously meaning they are blind. I've wondered how hard it might be to maneuver the streets of a city with just the sounds of traffic, street lights and a cane to guide you.

This day was different than a normal middle aged man or woman with a white cane. On this day I was waiting for the bus downtown after work. I saw a man and a woman, both with white hair, well into their 80's with their arms locked and their free hands holding out their white canes. They navigated themselves down the street slowly but with with ease. I got nervous as they approached the end of the sidewalk and a busy street. Their canes told them the sidewalk was ending and they were approaching the crosswalk. They stopped while traffic passed and waited patiently for their turn to cross the street. I wondered if I should go help them cross the street. I knew the 'walk' sign would let out a noise to let them know it was time to cross the street but I still felt like they might need some assitance. As soon as the I thought that, the sign turned and the couple still stood there. The moment I started to walk toward them a woman stopped her car, got out, and helped them across the street. She could have turned and kept going but she walked them all the way to the other sidewalk, ran back to her car and drove off. It was so good to see that there are still people out there that aren't too busy, or in too much of a rush. I was surprised that in 5:00 traffic downtown no one honked at her throwing her car in park and getting out to help someone.

I wondered where the couple was going the whole way home. It's silly to think that just because they're blind they couldn't do the same things we do. I wondered though, were they blind when they met? How long had they been together? Where were they headed? Where had they come from? My heart broke and was warmed at the same time. In there 80's, she had her head on his shoulder and the blind led the blind; literally.

I loved that they were out, in a busy city, doing what people like me take for granted. I loved that two people in there 80's were walking hand in hand, in love, the woman trusting her man to steer her in the right direction; blindly.