I’m so excited to introduce you to our friend, Jen. She has been reading our blog for awhile now, and we’ve been chatting about our lives as young moms with RP for a couple years. We are also part of the same online community of visually impaired women on Facebook, called Room With a View, and Jen is always posting the most thought-provoking questions, like the one she shares here today. It’s one I wish I’d read back when I was teaching and constantly afraid I’d lose my job because of my vision. I know Jen’s post will be an encouragement for many out there in the workplace! Continue reading “Should I Tell My Workplace I’m Losing My Eyesight? (A Guest Post by Jen Walker)”
Year: 2015
DoubleVisionBlog Fight Song
View and share “DoubleVisionBlog Fight Song” Video on Facebook
Hi DoubleVisionBlog friends! I’ve been secretly working on this video for the past month as a surprise for Jenelle. Happy Blindness Awareness Month!
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In honor of Blindness Awareness month this October, Joy shares her journey of shame, vulnerability and courage. With both humor and insight, Joy and her twin sister, Jenelle, share their stories of life with RP at doublevisionblog.com. Continue reading “DoubleVisionBlog Fight Song”
The Middle of Our Stories
Jenelle started me thinking about stories with her post last week. Awhile back I wrote a post that I was too embarrassed to publish, due to the vulnerability involved in sharing my lack of confidence at the time. In light of the confidence I’ve gained in recent months, I’d like to share it here now, with some new insights.
I can see her.
Confident. Calm. Kind. Self-assured. Unassuming. Strong. Inviting. Gracious. Intelligent. Witty. Playful. Peaceful. Attractive. Insightful. Carefree.
She’s standing on the corner, cane in hand, waiting to cross, and she looks like she knows where she’s going. She’s approachable and aware. She accepts people the way she has accepted herself, fully. There is a lightness in her footsteps because she doesn’t take herself too seriously. She sees life as an adventure and not an emergency.
Story
I just finished reading To Kill A Mockingbird. Of course this was not my first time reading this modern classic, and it likely won’t be the last time I find myself engrossed in Harper Lee’s masterpiece. The story has not changed in the 18 years since I last read it. Yet, it somehow feels new to me. While Scout, Jim, and Dill feel like long-lost friends, they also seem different from how I remember them. While I recall feeling infuriated by the prejudice and injustices in the story, my understanding and analysis of these events has more depth than it did as a teenager. My own life experiences over the last two decades influence how I interpret this powerful novel. (Side note – feeling so damn old as I write this) Continue reading “Story”
What Does It Mean to Be Present?
My Aunt Debbie came over the other day and gave my girls the best present, a picture book entitled, What Does it Mean to Be Present?. It’s a beautiful book in a whimsical font on a topic that I haven’t seen many children’s books tackle. Lots of books on friendship and sharing and learning. But not many on “being”.
My daughters love this book, although I’m the one who can’t stop flipping through it, hoping it will rub off on me. My mind being the hamster wheel that it is, I really struggle with being fully present. Continue reading “What Does It Mean to Be Present?”
The Goat Birds
Some time has passed since Joy and I shared our embarrassing moments in which we’ve learned to laugh at ourselves.
But something happened recently that really forced me to laugh at myself, after I was done cringing. Continue reading “The Goat Birds”
From On Top of the World to Reality: Transition Home
Continue reading “From On Top of the World to Reality: Transition Home”
Is Jenelle Getting a Guide Dog?
The anticipation was almost more than I could bear. I had been planning the surprise for 4 months, and it seemed August 8th would never arrive. I nearly ruined the surprise on several occasions, and it began to feel like it could burst out of my mouth at any moment without warning. I told very few people about the surprise in hopes of containing it.
Finally, the date arrived, and my younger sister, Jillian, and I set out on our trip to unveil the big surprise. Continue reading “Is Jenelle Getting a Guide Dog?”
Guide Dogs for the Over-Thinkers (aka. Week 2 at GDB)
I procrastinated getting a guide dog for about 2 years, turning down 3 different training dates offered to me after being accepted to the program, all because of fear.
My fears? (in order)
Poop. Allergies. Dog Hair. Drool.
None of these 4 excuses that I spent 730 days fixating on ended up being issues. Continue reading “Guide Dogs for the Over-Thinkers (aka. Week 2 at GDB)”
I Believe I Can Fly (summary of First Week at GDB)
“What are you looking for in a guide dog?”
“Um, Well, a smallish sized dog who is calm and has a drier mouth, maybe a yellow lab although color isn’t as important. Oh, and I want a dog who is super fast.”
I could tell Roja met my criteria from day 1, even though bonding has continued to be challenging. I’m now in my second week of training, and I still find myself feeling jealous of other students and their constantly playful, cuddling dogs. Yes, Roja, gives “hugs” with her whole body and loves playing “tug” and occasionally rests her soft head on my lap, but these signs of affection are definitely on her terms, intermittently, when she feels like it! She still moves away when I reach to pet her head, and I’m still learning what makes her tick. Continue reading “I Believe I Can Fly (summary of First Week at GDB)”