Six Inches

Earlier this year, in the summer, my boss scheduled a woman to come to the office and offer our staff some sensitivity and blindness awareness training. Honestly, I could have done the training myself. I think that my over 20 years of legal blindness affords me the expertise that's needed to hip others to what it is like to be blind. But I guess it was probably a good idea to bring an outsider in. You know how it is... People have a tendency to believe and respect an outsider much faster than one of their own.

Well, the lady pretty much said everything I would have said. But the one thing she said, that I can confirm as truth, but I had never really thought about, was that something can be six inches away from a blind person and be totally lost. When I tell you that sister ain't never lied about that!

I can't number the times that I have been on a major hunt for something, only to find it right under my dag on nose. So many times, I have gone to get someone in my family to help me search for something that I've lost and been looking for a long time, only for them to find it in less than one minute. It's a trip!

What's the solution for this problem? To be organized... To have a good memory...

Well, I'm not going to say that I'm challenged in both my organizational and memory skills. But I will say that I, especially that I'm getting older, am not so good at putting things down and remembering where in the hell I put them. I'm guessing that it is a down hill slide from here. As I get older, more stuff will get lost.

Well, I'm not going to speak that negativity on my life. Instead, I will say that I will learn and put into practice to be more mindful of where I place things, so that I can remember where they are when I need them.

There it is. Positivity in the atmosphere. I'm looking for my return.

Y'all have a good day. I know I will.

Much love, peace, and satisfaction,

Miss Braden

I Did It!

It never seemed like it was going to ever happen, but it finally did. I actually completed my masters. Yay!!!

I graduated from Texas Southern University's Tavis Smiley School of Communication with a Masters of Arts degree in Communications on December 15, 2007.

YIPEE!!

I didn't go to my graduation because my baby sister graduated the same day, at the same hour, from a university in East Texas. So, since this was her first degree achieved, I decided to join my family in Nacogdoches, Texas to celebrate Kimberly's achievement.

As I was sitting in Kim's graduation, I was sitting there, thinking about how proud I was that ten years after graduating from undergrad, I had achieved another academic honor. What a blessing!

I'm not a person that gets caught up in the "look at what I did" song and dance. But I have to admit, when I sit down and think about the accomplishments that I have been able to achieve despite being totally blind, I realize that I have something to be glad about. So, right now, I am sitting here in my office, thinking about how blessed I am to be me.

Usually, my life gets on my nerves... But today, I am thankful for the life that I do have.

Thank you God for the life you have given me. Thank you for the tools, insight, and gifts that you have placed inside of me. You're so awesome!

To all of those that have been rooting for me for the last three years, thanks so much. Guess what... I need some more rooting. I'm going to start working on a second masters in January. This time, I'm going to get a masters in counseling. So, get behind me and push real hard. I need all the support I can get.

With love and peace,

Angie

Stars and Stripes, Revisited for the Third Time

Earlier this year, I
wrote about how I often injure myself in my daily life. Not major injuries... But I still hit and knock myself up pretty good from time to time.

Most of my injuries are the cause of moving too fast and not being more careful. I guess I still have not learned my lesson.

The other day, I was bending over to pick up the laundry detergent off the floor. I bent over to pick up the box, and bashed my mouth into the edge of the counter. I burst my lip on the inside and out. And even though I iced my lip to minimize the swelling, my lip puffed up and turned purple.

All this week, I've been walking around looking like Tina Turner, when she was called Annie Mae by her boxing husband. Definitely not a cute look...

Well, this time, I learned a lesson. I will try to slow my role before I end up hurting myself beyond repair.

To be Young, Beautiful, and Blind

Anybody that knows me should know that I am a major Donny Hathaway fan. I hate to admit this, but I'm in love with a dead man. Creepy ain't it? LOL Well, I'm in love with the brother's voice. He may be dead, but his beautiful, golden, matchless voice lives forever.

Well, one of my favorite Hathaway songs is "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black". (Is that the real name of the song? **shrug** Is that really one of my favorite Hathaway songs? Ummmm, no. But because of love him so much, all of his songs fall in the catagory of favorite.)

That song popped in my head when I was trying to figure out what to title my post. "To Be Young, Beautiful, and Blind"

It seems there are so many people in our society that have ahard time thinking that I can be both beautiful and blind. I've written about this several times already. But I was prompted, because of an interaction I had in LA, to write about it yet again.

One of the nights I was in LA, my friends decided to go downstairs to have a couple of drinks. (Yes, blind people drink too. LOL) Well, as we were going into the bar area, one of the brothers noticed that I was blind. I heard him tell the brother he was with that I was blind. Well, the brother he was informing about me and my disability stated, and I quote. "But she's so pretty though."

THOUGH?!

What does that "though" mean. I'll tell you. She's so pretty to be blind.

Now, is there some kind of manual out there that says that you can't be pretty and blind? If so, hip me to it. Then, maybe, and I mean maybe, I will understand.

Well, I guess I will not let people's fascination of my beauty be such a hardship. I guess it could be worse. I guess I could actually fit into whatever this weird stereo type is that people have ignorantly created for the blind.

So, I will settle for being young, beautiful, and blind.

**Can I still call myself young after turning 30?**

Update

I can't believe that it's actually been two weeks since I've posted on my blog. I've visited the blog a few times, wishing to post, but never really having anything that I felt like actually saying out loud.

My stress level has been real high. And unlike others that I know, when I get stressed, my ability to write and be creative is impacted negatively. When I'm upset and tired of pain, I close up, rather than opening up myself to be expressive. I haven't always been this way. But since I turned 30, that's how it's been.

So, to anyone that cares, here's an update on all that I've been doing since I last posted.

* My family and I moved into an apartment the day before Thanksgiving. I'm quite thankful to have shelter. But I am so unthankful about the conditions of the apartment. Let's just say that there are other living things in the apartment with us. So, you know I am pi$$ed off. I'm trying to be cool until we move out. But I don't do roaches. Never have, never will... So, I know something has got to give.
* I bought a beautiful bedroom group. I love it so much. In the time of trouble, retail therapy always helps a girl feel better.
* I've been going to work every single day. I wish I could say more about that. But because I have this little promise between me and myself to not talk about work on my blog, I'll just say nothing.
* I went to California last week. I had a fabulous time! But that trip has to have it's own post. I have so much to write about regarding my experiences in LA.
* I was involved in a car accident Sunday. Nope, I wasn't driving. LOL Am I okay? Yep... I'm fine. It was just a fender bender.

Well, as new developments roll in, I'll update. But I probably won't mention anything about the fire until we actually have moved back into the house. Talking about anything other than moving back into the house is utterly annoying and completely frustrating.

I need another vacation. Anybody want to sponsor a flight to either the left or the right coast?