Fear

Well, I realise the title and the picture have little to do with each other unless you really think about it.
Anyway, I had a bit of a personal insight the other day, and I thought I'd share it. A lot of people feel sorry for me that I don't have any bones about my vision loss, and ocassionally it is a pain, but when I stopped and thought about it in comparrison to everything I enjoy in life, I don't have a problem getting by. But I had a major think about all my senses and which one I'd miss the most, and how much would it effect my life.
Sight: So I have lost osme already, but if I lost all of it and became completely blind, I don't think I'd have a problem once I got used to it. Sure, I'd be more dependant on people and not as physically active as I am, but I could still sing for people, run some diversional therapy activities (with assisstance) and do the things I enjoy doing. I could even listen to television and visualise what was happening. But I couldn't maintain my independence for a lot of the time. I'd need some help, and eventually I'd regain some of the lost independence.
Speech: This would be a bit more of a pain. I'd be very restricted on the things I'd enjoy doing. Clearly, I'd lose my singing and be seriously restricted in the activities I could run as a Diversional Theripist. However, with a lot of effort I could do some of the things I enjoy and still be good at them.
Hearing: I fear losing this sense. I'd lose almost everything I enjoy. I wouldn't be able to sing, listen to the music I enjoy, do my diversional theropy work effectively or even my psychic work. The best I could do with the latter is e/mail responses, which would be the best business I could set up. While I could still enjoy some things in life such as movies or writing, I don't think it would be the same without the music that goes with it. I'd also have to get some assisstence to communicate with people because, clearly, it would all go in one ear and out the other. But I would have such a sense of loss because most of my life would have just gone down the crapper all at once.
So when it comes to sensory disability, even losing my marbles to an Aquired Brain Injury wouldn't put me off so much because I could still remember and compute a lot of things, just not perform them to the extent I do now. But to have all that swept out form under me with one hard yank would almost be the end of me. Sure, i could do some Diversional work, but I wouldn't be able to hear the things people said, or the compliments that are often handed to me, or be able to discuss things with my clients.
So I want you, just for a minute, to consider the things in your life, and which sense would take all that from you at once. Is it sight? Is it your hearing or speech? Would the loss of another sense or motorfunction stop you? I know the loss of a motorfunction, such as walking, wouldn't stop me from doing what I do now, but it would be a pain in the rear for a while. What is it about your body that you really need to make you you? I find the question interesting because not a lot of people stop and consider it. On the other hand, I do hear on and off about different people who have done well for themselves without different functions, and I don't doubt that I could find a similar path if that were to happen. But still, it is something I don't think a lot of people think about that often, if at all. That probably explains why a lot of people are so amazed by what I do and achieve with my vision loss, because they can't/haven't contemplated what it would like to be that blind.
Well, that is my lot for today. I am going to go back to listening to my music and probably write some emails. Some of my readers should be expecting one from me today. Lotsa love,
Pez-man!