A Day of Greyson

Hi, My name is Greyson and I will try to put my day down into words for you. I help my Mom get to places she wants to go safely. I protect her from going into the road I think she calls it.All I know is that I keep her from going towards those big, strange metal things. I help her get around things that may be in our way while walking like trees, metal things in the sidewalk, or something else that may be in our way. My day starts with food and water. Then I get to go to the potty because I have had to go all night, but I know if I go where I sleep I will make my Mom mad at me and I never want that. Sometimes there is wet stuff falling from the sky and I really don't want to be out in it, but I have to go potty before my mom lets me go back inside. My mom has to say bye to the guy I like so much and my friend Chance I think his name is goes and stays outside for a long time. Sometimes my mom will let me go back to sleep after I go potty in the morning, but other times we may go out doing something with the man I like so much. Other times she may have me practice sitting, staying when I can't see her which is really hard, or even laying down which I love. I don't understand why she makes me do this over and over because I already know it, but I don't mind so much because she gives me lots of petting. So now it may be another time for me to go potty which is good because I really have to go. I get water after this time, but I don't always want it so I have to tell my mom no I don't want it. Sometimes my friend will come in and we can play for a while. I love these times because I can rough house with him and he does not mind. Sometimes he will get tired so he may need a break then I try to get my little friend to play, but she just looks at me and goes back to cleaning herself. I think my mom calls her Jazmine and she smells different than my big friend. By this time my mom is getting my stuff to go out on a walk and I am happy to do this. My big friend has to go back outside and I have to go potty again before we go. She puts on my outfit and we go. I love these times Sometimes on walks there is other friends I want to say Hi to, but my mom reminds me I have to keep her safe so I do. there also are little people like my mom, but they smell really good and make loud noises that make me want to play. Again my mom has to remind me to protect her I think I do a good job most of the time because she gives me petting and tells me I was a good boy. Finally we get back home and I get food and water again.I am very hungry from walking so fast and much so I gobble up my food and then water. I get to go potty again and I really have to go because I drank so much. Most of the time I get to rest the rest of the day while my mom does stuff. I try to get my little friend to play with me again but she won't I don't get it. All she does is clean herself and steal petting from my mom. Soon the man I like so much comes home and we may go back out in his metal thing. I have to curl up by my mom's large funny looking paws so we can go . Finally I get to go potty again for the last time of the day so it makes me feel good for the sleeping time. I almost forgot the man I like so much has this other little friend, but I don't think she likes me so much.When I first met her she hurt my nose and now she makes strange noises at me when she sees me. I think my mom calls her Sheba. She is not like my other little friend that allows me to give her kisses and nudges. this little friend will run away if I try to smell her. It makes me sad. My day is just about over if my mom does not give me a brushing which feels really nice.she may also put this really good tasting stuff on my teeth. well I think it is time for me to go to sleep. I have my own bed, but I like to sleep with my mom so I get in her bed.she does not mind most of the time. Good night all my friends and lay like I do on your back it is very nice.

Leader Dog

I traveled by plane for the first time to get to class and I did not even realize when the plane took off until the flight attendant said over the speaker we were now 10,000 feet in the air. when I arrived it was a Sunday so not much was done but unpacking and socializing with others who got there, On Monday we did something called Juno walks.A Juno walk is the trainer holding the harness that will go on your dog. The point of these walks is to learn the commands and corrections if they need to be made to the dog. I got my new guide dog the next day because it was a short class and all the trainers thought we should get extra time since it was a short class. I was presented with a yellow lab named Greyson. A awesome fact is Greyson was raised in the prison system not with a family. So for his first full year of life he stayed with this person and they taught him basic commands and things that may be strange to the dog. The first week went by very quickly and before I knew it Sunday was there. Sundays are the days Greyson gets to just be a dog they are for play, lazing around, and recouping from the week. The second week also went by very quickly but we learned many more things together. Greyson and I went along busy roads and longer routes where there were many obstacles. When there may be a ground or just an obstacle in the sidewalk Greyson stops to let me know something is there and I should check it out. Once I do so I take a step back and give the command forward and he has the responsibility to take the safest way around the obstacle. On Saturday I was not feeling Greyson and I were progressing well but in the morning we took an independent walk with just trainers at certain points just in case we needed help. That walk made me feel better on how we are working together but in the afternoon my feelings were in a way I could not describe because we did a very busy mall. To go into a busy mall and not run into anything was amazing. Greyson easily guided me around people and obstacles smoothly and with grace. I found out many people are not expecting to see a dog in a place like a mall so they can get startled.I had that happen Greyson and I passed a woman and she dropped all her stuff because she was not expecting to see Greyson the next day was Father's day and my dad came to visit me for a couple hours. He had some trouble getting there because a belt broke on his vehicle so he had to have a friend bring him another one. Greyson met my dad and he likes him so that is very good. Then was the last week. the last week I really enjoyed because we went and did a route in Detroit and I got to go on a people mover for the first time. I also learned if Greyson and I are on a platform like for a train or the people mover and I try to tell Greyson to go forward and nothing is there he will actually turn the other way and not go off the drop off. We also walked a trail the last week which was very nice because I like to go hiking and I was wondering how Greyson would handle that situation. Thursday came around and I signed the papers that made Greyson and I an official team. We also got an I.D that has our picture on it and it says we are a Leader Dog team on the back of the I.D there is the ADA law. I went home on Friday with Greyson. It was an interesting experience going threw security and riding on a plane with him. Greyson got very stressed after security and he threw up but after that everything went well. I was very surprised when I was told only 40% of all the puppies that are born make it threw to class and graduate with a handler.Some dogs may not like the responsibility of the job, some dogs may be too hyper, some dogs may even be too lazy. These dogs are called career change dogs. Leader Dog does its best to put the career change dogs in a position somewhere else like working with a person in a wheelchair or even in the airport. If there are any questions I can answer just put them in the comments.

Animals and Us

We have all had or wanted a pet in our lives. The people who have had animals or pets know the feelings they give to us. We get unconditional love, peacefulness, and care from a creature that does not know how to hate. We can own all kinds of animals like, dogs, cats, horses, pigs, or even hedge hogs. Some of these creatures do not like to cuddle a lot but we love them to bits and feel heartbroken when they may pass. The people who have not had a pet I think you are missing out because animals give such love and caring without even asking for it. All these types of animals have all different types of personalities which make our relationships with them so interesting. Some can be quieT AND really independent but some can also be hyper and playful. Families with kids really do benefit from having a pet because I believe it teaches the kids responsibility and how to take care of a creature that may not take care of theirselves.People who get their pet qualified for being a therapy animal I believe they are doing a benefit for the community because they may bring them to hospitals, nursing homes, or homeless shelters. These places do well with these animals because people who may be in the hospital for a while gets hope and a brightness in their spirits that can not be explained.Bringing a therapy animal into a nursing home brings happiness and joy back again into those peoples hearts. Homeless shelters also benefit because showing those people the happiness that an animal may bring to them helps with maybe one day an animal will be adopted by them. I personally own a cat, a dog, and soon a guide dog. What kind of animal do you own? Do you own a weird animal you love to bits?

Blind Troubles...

Each and every day I have many troubles and a lot of them are due to being blind. I never let these troubles keep me down though, I push past the difficulties in life to live a normal life like everyone else. I have the troubles of running into garbage cans, cars, and every once in a while into someone. Running into the garbage cans and cars are due to me walking along the curb to get out to the street so I can get on the bus. I can not walk on any sidewalks until I get to a busy street because either there are none or they cut off randomly which is very weird.I use the bus system to get around most of the time and they are great. At times though they do not announce the stops so I have to depend on the driver to tell me when my stop is coming up. At other times the bus I need just passes me up without even stopping so I have to wait for the next bus depending on when the next one comes. I am getting a guide dog next month so running into things will no longer be an issue. I love to inform people on how I do everything being blind but a lot of people are so rude when they see me walking around. Some people like to grab me to try and guide me to where I may be going which is completely wrong and rude. I do not know any blind person who likes to be grabbed and drug around because that person does not know how to guide. Another rude gesture is when people call my cane a stick I understand it looks like a stick but it is a cane just like the one elderly may use. One personal thing that bothers me the most and I have heard this one from other blind people to is when other people with vision move everything around and do not tell me where it was moved so it takes me a long time to find it. One thing I want to challenge anyone who is reading this post is to try and eat food with a blind fold on, walk around your house with no lights on , take a shower in the dark, or get dressed in the dark. You do not have to try it I just think it will open many eyes to how blind people live their lives everyday. Blindness is not something that can cause someone to have no life and do nothing because it seems so impossible. I had sight for many years and actually going blind has been a eye opener for me because now I see the true way people are when it comes to differences in people. I actually tend to forget that I am blind because I have adapted to living blind very well and truly excepted going blind. Try my challenge and you can see too.

The White Cane

A lot of blind people use a white cane that helps them navigate and avoid obstacles in their path. A visually impaired person also benefits from using one if they are night blind which means even though they can see during the day they are not able to see at night. Another reason for sometimes needing a cane is if a person is not able to walk on very bright days when there are not many clouds. For a person who has some remaining vision, an identification cane is useful as it lets them know if something is in their peripheral vision or right in front of them - in the case that they have a central vision loss. An identification cane also lets the public know that the individual using it may have some degree of vision loss. A totally blind person needs a cane to detect cracks in the sidewalk, find and use grass lines, and to help with finding where stairs are, to name a few. The white canes are not just white, they are red and white because it helps someone with sight notice the cane. It is also possible to specialty order canes for the visually impaired and different colors. The white cane may also be made out of aluminum, fiberglass or graphite. There are many different tips that may come with a white cane. They are called marshmallow, pencil, ceramic, or flat tip. There are straight canes, folding canes and telescoping canes. A folding cane and a telescoping cane are a lot easier to break at the joints, but the straight cane will break if there is not a proper place to store it. there are two ways to use a cane the techniques are constant contact or two touch . Constant contact is when the tip of the cane stays on the ground and is rolled the persons shoulder length. The two touch is when the user steps with the left foot and the cane is on the right where the shoulder would be the opposite happens when the user taps the cane on the left side on the ground. Some users use a mixture of both while walking.Personally I like the folding cane with a pencil tip and I use the two touch technique unless I need to switch to constant contact for one or more reasons. Some of those reasons can be to find truncated domes to cross a sidewalk. These are the bumpy things most people have no idea what they are for. I have had many interesting times with my cane. Many times I was walking down the hallway in school and got my cane caught in between someones legs while they are walking and my cane snaps in half. I have also had times that a mobility specialist is trying to show me something on the ground I may come across at times and I completely miss it. I have also gotten a graphite cane stuck straight which I was told is nearly impossible with a crack along the side. I have dropped my cane many times while walking around because I catch cracks and my cane gets caught and I let go. Other times I have someone accidentally kick it out of my hand. Some funny moments are when I am trying to get on the bus and while the doors are opening I get my cane caught on the opening door.. I have also gotten my cane caught in bushes when they are really close to the sidewalk. The most fun is when I am walking close to another person with a white cane and their cane hits mine over and over it seems like we are having a sword/cane fight.I am willing to answer any questions about the white cane or otherwise.

From Winter to Spring

This year has been full of two bad storms where many people were injured or killed due to car accidents. This year has also been filled with terrible stories of people freezing in the cold. Well the time has come that it is spring. In many areas it does not seem so though. It becomes warm and cozy like spring is then the snow comes upon us again. Even in the states that are known for their warmth have gotten cold beyond what is the normal. I have heard too many people say when will the snow stop this is spring. I have also heard many people say I believe it when the weather man says there will be snow tonight.I am one person who likes the cold weather or not its bitter but even I am not liking the cold to hot cold to hot pattern. Easter has passed with snow in the night when this holiday is known to celebrate the growth and rebirth of life. The nice day turned into snow in the secret of night destroying the beauty of the growing flowers. When will this cold stop destroying the life held in spring? How do you feel about the spring not really being what spring is supposed to bring?

FreeLance Inquiry????

As everyone already knows I love to write and am looking to create it into something more. I am trying to start up some freelance work to continue my writing. Does anyone know of any newspapers or magazines wanting to take on a new freelance writer? I am willing to write almost about anything for an article or personal essay. I would love to be able to write about my wrestling experience and wanting to continue something in the wrestling field. I am not fond of politics because I do not understand most of them. I have already sent out two query e-mails but I have not gotten any response back right now. I wold also enjoy any e-mails from people about some ideas or critiques on writing.Any e-mails towards personal queries are to be sent to asiaevans102897@gmail.com with the subject line WM so I can know what the e-mail may be about. I also enjoy writing poems and short stories with almost any subject.

Questions??????

Bring it on! Ask me anything! Stolen from a couple friends. Friends, what are some things that you wonder about Blind People, that you have been too afraid to ask? Please ask even the most potentially offensive or sensitive things that you want to, on this thread. (personal attacks/insults not allowed though)

Blind Friends, lets do what we can to help educate. Please, if you the time, and the ability, join me in answering! 

GoalBall: a blind sport

Most people do not think a blind person can do any kind of a sport. Well I would like to tell those people that they are wrong and there are actually sports just for the blind. Goalball is one of them. Goalball can be described as either blind soccer or reverse dodgeball. It is kinda wrong to describe it like blind soccer because there is a such thing as blind soccer. I recently went to a tournament of goalball and it was very fun even though the girls did not win any games but the guys did. To explain it right there are three people on each side of the court and they can either be standing or on hands and knees. Each player is wearing blacked out goggles and the referee checks them before the game starts and when each player may be substituted out. There is a right wing, a left wing, and a center player that each time the ball comes towards them they do something called laying out to block the ball from going into the goal. The referee asks the audience to be quiet because there is a type of noise maker in the ball. This is only one blind sport that is apart of the Para Olympics. A blind person can do any sport a sighted person does yet most people do not even consider it a possibility. A blind person can even go to the Para Olympics for sports like Wrestling, swimming,soccer, basketball, and sports just for the blind. So if you think that just because you are blind or have a visual impairment you can not do sports or have to quit them you are mistaken. If anyone wants to look up more information about blind sports you can go to usaba.org you can look up some games that weekend on this website too.  

Reading and Writing

I have always enjoyed reading novels and trying new author's. since I went blind I have read more than most people would in a year. I have read series of 15 books and I have just read novels for an author.I choose a book to see if I like the author if I do and I suspect the book I read is part of a series I look it up. Eventually if I like that author I end up reading all the audiobooks that author provides. I truly enjoy when an author has an active series and is continuing to publish stories. I put the date in my calendar and get really excited when the book comesout. The only thing that sometimes gets me sad is when the audio version of the book does not come out the same day as the ebook comes out. I have many authors I love and am excited when their books come out in each series that author may have that is active. If an author has more than one series that is publishing books that means to me that more than one book from that author is coming out in one year. I also really enjoy writing these blogs and maybe I could go somewhere with it but I am not sure how. When I make my blogs all I do for the moment while I am writing them is let my mind go free and allow me to write about the subject I am thinking about. I have been told that I could write a biography about myself because I have an interesting story I just would not know where to start. In school when the english teacher wants a short story, poem, or summary written I am very good at it. I truly enjoy writing the short stories and poems that tell a story within them. Do you like reading or even writing? Maybe both?

Losing a Furr baby

We all know that feeling of a small body cuddling against us. Weather you have a dog or a cat or any other animal you love. When they come over just for a snuggle or to ask for the bathroom its always worth a smile. When we have become sad our animals know it so they try to make us feel better in their own way. Throughout years of having this animal we have moved, gone threw extreme challenges, grown in our own ways or even been through many relationships and they are still with us. They stayed with us threw the hard times, silly times, heartbreaking times, and the happy times so they are family in a sense. What about when they are not there anymore? There is a hole that can not be filled with the unconditional love they provided threw all the times it was needed. The warmth of there body or the little actions they made that were laugh worthy. nothing is there from them anymore. So each day they are remembered for the ear that was always there and never judged. Some people may get another companion but most will never forget the first beloved pet. Some people may never get another or wait years because the pain of losing the first was too much. Everyone does different things to honor their beloved pet and that is their way of always remembering them. Some people may get a tattoo of their animal, some may cremate them and keep them in an urn, some may keep a picture on their keychain all these ways honor the life our beloved companion had. Have you lost a beloved pet? What have you done to honor a lost pet?