I am delighted to feature Jessica Chambers on the blog today for an author guest post, check out her new book - Dark Is The Sky!
If You Were To Lose Your Sight, What Would You Miss Most?
As a visually impaired person, there is one question I’ve been asked more than any other. What do I miss most being without my sight? Well, the list is endless: appreciating the beauty of nature, reading the body language and facial expressions of those around me, eyeing up attractive men in bars, looking at photos or browsing through magazines, being able to check in the mirror whether I’ve smudged my mascara, watching the sun set, playing tennis… There are, however, two things I miss above anything else.
The first is being able to drive. I’ll never understand the people who choose not to learn, to deliberately give up this chance of freedom. How liberating it must be simply to have the option of jumping in your car and going anywhere that takes your fancy, even just to go for a drive to have some time to yourself. Of course, there are buses and trains, and an assisted travel service for any visually impaired person needing to make an unfamiliar journey at short notice. Still, there’s no getting away from the fact that it makes being impulsive a lot more difficult!
The second concerns my passion for books. Now, don’t get me wrong. I have no trouble whatsoever in feeding my addiction. I belong to a library service run by the Royal National Institute of Blind People, which keeps my appetite sated with a constant supply of books, both in Braille and on audio. Yet, there’s still a part of me that would love simply to be able to walk into a library or bookshop, peruse the shelves at my leisure, and pick out any paperback that happens to spark my interest.
Okay, so those are my biggest regrets. Now it’s your turn. Imagine for a moment waking up tomorrow morning to find yourself totally blind. What are the things you would miss most? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this! About Jessica Chambers
Jessica Chambers has been inventing stories even before she was old enough to hold a pen. She has a passion for writing contemporary novels packed with emotion, complex relationships and often a touch of mystery.
Visually impaired from birth, Jessica currently lives with her family and Staffordshire bull terrier in the English town of Windsor. In addition to devouring fiction of all genres, she loves watching TV quiz shows and admits to being extremely competitive when it comes to a game of Trivial Pursuit.
You can visit her website at www.jessicachambers.co.uk.
Wow! I cannot imagine what it would be like to not be able to see all of a sudden, but I think the thing I would miss the most is being able to see the joy on my children's faces, to not be able to do the things with them that they enjoy. I am always in awe of those with an impairment of any sort, that they are able to accomplish so much, and that the minor obstacles that trip the rest of us up seem inconsequential, because they have spent much of their lives overcoming obstacles so much bigger. Thank you for this glimpse.
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