Thursday, December 20, 2007

The blind leading the sighted...

Today was one of those days, that 2 years ago I would never have though possible. Not because it wasn't possible, but just because I'd had a cumulative total of "zero" experience with it. So I was at The Agency at work, like I am every day, and my boss was out so it was just me and MJ. Around leaving time, she asked if I wanted to figure out how to take the subway back to the train station. Now let's pause a moment. I'm you're normal, average, wearing glasses but see 20/20 like most people. MJ on the other hand, has a seeing eye dog. I know she can tell light/dark and some shades, but beyond that I'm not all too sure. And yes, she's going to teach me how to use the subway. I have no idea where the subway is and I'm not really a subway traveler except when I'm in DC or Chicago... even NYC until just very recently.

Working daily with MJ inspires me by itself, let alone the times like these that just become overwhelming in their own way. She's amazing too, in that she seemed to think nothing of it. That she was just showing a colleague another mode of transportation for them when the weather's bad or something. It went just like that... I met her at closing time and we walked out of the building. Took the elevator down to the lobby and then I basically just told her to lead the way, and lead she did. She turned right and led us out the other door than the one we usually take when we just walk through the city to the trains. Down the street, through two lights, made a left, walked down to the middle of the block and turned right into the stairway down to the subway entrance that I didn't even see from the road until we were almost on top of it. She took me right down the steps, showed me where the tickets were and how to use the system because it was different from the normal train tickets. Knew which stop to get off at and how to get up to the main level of the train station. All this, with virtually an insignificant amount of functional vision. These are the kinds of things she does every day.... and every day she's extraordinary.

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