Snippets of Adjusting. Retinitis Pigmentosa.

We have been rediscovering past journals and reflecting much on what we have learned through this Retinitis Pigmentosa Journey.  We've been reading through and remembering different challenges, bumps and bruises, growth, and laughing.  There are positives and challenges to losing one's vision gradually versus suddenly.  At a conference a speaker worded it - With every nose dive of vision loss, I lose something I love.  I would add simply then, it is finding new ways to love what is lost.  Retinitis Pigmentosa lends itself to gradual adjustment vs. sudden adjustments:  losing the ability to drive, losing the ability to enjoy reading by print, losing the ability to recognize faces, losing the ability to distinguish colors, came gradually in their own time.  It comes in http://cruisinwithcricket.blogspot.com/2010/08/snippets.html">  snippets  of adjusting.  Also, one is blessed with snippets of growth and learning new alternative ways on a more gradual level.   In my journal I wrote a snippet about one of the first blindness/problem solving that Steve and I made together.  It was for our wedding reception.  At the time my challenge was no peripheral vision and thus, knowing when to put my hand out to shake our guests was the challenge of the day.   The thought of hundreds of people walking through a reception line was feeling overwhelming.  Our plan:  he would gently touch my elbow when their hand was going out and I would know to reach out and shake hands.  So easy and helped what seemed like a challenge be a special evening and on our way to problem solving.  Twenty-eight years later, this is still our system and a subtle clue when we are in many social situations.

Today we ran five miles on our journey of preparation for our marathon.  Perhaps, there are some similarities with Retinitis Pigmentosa and a marathon.  They both seem to really be helped by preparation and there is both challenges and joys in the journey.