Head Down

Vacation

My husband and I recently had a lovely getaway in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. I wrote previously of the beautiful setting. Our bed and breakfast was tucked away into the tree-lined hills of the small town.

The weather was perfect: not too hot, not too cold. It ended up being a great weekend to step out of the busyness of everyday life and just enjoy the world around us.

Outings

When vacationing in unfamiliar places we really enjoy just getting out and walking. Fortunately, this town is laid out in such a way to encourage this.

Sidewalks lined most of the streets, trees were abundant, and flowering plants lined most of our way. Combining this with the pleasant temperatures, these outings were thoroughly enjoyed.

Exception

There is one exception to this setting, one aspect that made walking about this town very challenging, at least for me: the sidewalks. Clearly they had been in place for years and years.

Over these years, the sidewalks have begun to shift. They rose in some places and fell in others, creating a somewhat hazardous pedestrian environment. I am sure the local residents have grown accustomed to this situation. They have probably learned to navigate with hardly a problem at all!

Then there is me

The challenge for me as I live life with myopic macular degeneration, was this: while trying to completely enjoy the sights on our daily walks, I struggled to actually do it. On the one hand, I wanted to gaze about, admiring the blooming flowers and the unique architecture of the homes around me.

On the other hand, if I did not carefully watch my footing, it was very treacherous to say the least. Stumbling more often than not, I found myself peering down more than up, missing much more than I would like to.

Adjusting

Our walks turned into more of a start and stop sort of an exercise. I really did not want to miss what was all around me, so by stepping and stopping, I was able to at least catch what was to be seen.

Thankfully my husband is an understanding soul and he carefully navigated with handy tips: “watch that crevice” or “be careful it's rough here”. At times we simply stepped out into the empty roadway to avoid the worst of it.

Lessons

As most of my daily life lessons revolve around what I am seeing and doing, I again had a revelation. That this would be my new normal, any future exploration needs to be handled with similar caution and care.

I will constantly be peering at the ground before me as I venture into new surroundings. Taking care to monitor the road and world while proceeding with extreme caution.

This new way of enjoying my world is just one more step in this life with the challenge of myopic macular degeneration. Probably not a bad thing really, stop, look and appreciate deeply the views that we have. Not taking for granted what is out there to be seen by all.