(VICT) Re: Trust and Teamwork
- From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney" <tamara.8024@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 25 May 2008 12:46:17 -0700
Karyn,
Family! Argh! I hear ya.
Some of Mitzi's and my best work has been when we go out to a =
semi-familiar
area and cheerfully get ourselves lost on the way home. /lol/ =
Progressive
vision loss makes that too easy for me, too. I can still manage to get
"lost" on the way to or from the corner store. OMG! Where am I? If I =
let
myself get caught by that feeling when I'm alone with my cane, I'm =
doomed!
My only saving grace then is that I finally crack up at how stupid I'm
being, and the laughter breaks the tension. Still!
When we dash into downtown Portland then decide to walk back, Mitzi is =
so
excited! Then she settles down into her on-the-job mode and we do that
dream walk you describe. OMG! So free! And she loves it, too. New
challenges are definitely her cup of tea, and she's so proud when she =
takes
me smoothly through a toughie. What a dog!
She's excited about taking a cab from home when I pull one of my =
last-minute
scrambles, but she gets pretty glum when we end up taking it home. =
That's
no fun! She's the same way with the bus. Very excited when we go to =
the
bus stop to ride away, but when I finish my errand and tell her we're =
going
to the bus stop.... Unless it's really nasty out, we will work in some
exploring on our way to a bus stop closer to home.
It's exhilarating and scary, just with being more blind than I was last =
time
I was there, especially with construction or when we get too far off the
beaten path where the sidewalks are a bit more, er, unpredictable. In a
wheelchair and with marginal hearing, it must be even more of an =
e-ticket
ride!
It's great reading your excitement at seeing it all come together in =
your
l'il man, even if only briefly, and knowing this is your future =
together.
What a high! At nearly 2, Mitzi has matured enough that a reasonable =
level
of teamwork is our norm, but I still feel a sense of wonder as I walk =
easily
down the sidewalk with my working girl. Also, I'm not constantly =
exhausted
just from setting foot outside the door. I hardly know what to do with
myself. /smile/
Keep up the good work and the good stories!
Tami Smith-Kinney
-----Original Message-----
From: vi-clicker-trainers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:vi-clicker-trainers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Karyn and
Thane
Sent: Saturday, May 24, 2008 3:20 PM
To: Vi-clicker
Subject: (VICT) Trust and Teamwork
OK a small vent has to be incorporated here in order to get the full =
scope=20
of things Smile
My family has never really accepted any of my disabilities. Helpfulness =
when
it comes to my blindness, well lets face it, I ask neighbors or store=20
personnel that I am friends with about things far quicker than I would =
ask=20
family because frankly if its directions they just like to say things =
like=20
*go this way* as they point their hand whatever way. Lets just say no =
matter
how many times I tell them to use their words, it don't get through... =
LOL
So the other day I finally got my mom to begin their promised help with=20
getting Thane used to riding in a vehicle. I wanted to know how to get =
to=20
another park here in town. One of my care workers a couple years ago was =
awesome with giving directions. Mom drove there to the park- of course =
she=20
got totally lost doing it and once she discovered where it was, she =
would=20
not redrive the route or tell me the specifics how to get there or =
better=20
yet reverse my course. New places are still hard for me directionally as =
I=20
am continuously losing a lot of ground visually now and seeking out=20
landmarks- dream on.
So here we are Thane and I. I decided since they were mowing our park to =
try
and figure it out! giggle
We actually got there pretty good once I decided to ignore *ALL* of my =
moms=20
directions. Coming home though... snicker
Lets just say we took the scenic route headed towards the hills instead =
of=20
uptown where we live.
Oh the myriad of exposures the two of us got from newly done accessible=20
curbcuts that removed bumpy sidewalk configurations I was used to, to=20
curbcuts and sidewalks that were truly after thoughts to areas where =
there=20
were awesome curbcuts and sidewalks to places where tree roots made=20
traversing the sidewalk feel like we were on a roller coaster =
practically!=20
OK not quite but ya get the drift.
Thane needs this type of exposure though as what I noticed was he tried =
his=20
pull, pull, pull at first any time we passed people or lots of traffic=20
again. With that exposure though, he was doing awesome for me after such =
a=20
short bit of time.
We gained a lot through that excursion. Self confidence was soaring in =
us=20
both when we got ourselves *un-lost*. It showed me that if we hang tight =
together, we can figure our way around places even when people give us =
such=20
crappy directions that you wonder who is the blind one afterall!
It was really cool when Thane realized where he was. He got this extra =
skip=20
in his step and it was like even he felt like we were soaring together.
Our teamwork really has become quite an amazing thing. And in all =
honesty, I
think he is one that gets bored with the same-ol, same-ol type of =
routes.
It was one of those outings where I had to give a little and trust Thane =
directionally as well as know when to stand firm with the direction I =
felt=20
we should be going. This kind of experience truly required us to work=20
together.
I really began feeling like we really can do anything in time.
And to think he is just sixteen months old! I can't imagine how awesome =
this
will be when he is three or five years of age. It just seems impossible =
that
we have done all this in just a little over six months time.
Karyn and Thane=20
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