Today when I walked outside the building where I work on my way to lunch, I saw an older blind woman with a cane standing on the sidewalk looking very confused. She heard the door open when I exited and called out "hello?" I greeted her and she asked me to take her to the Manhattan cafe. Normally I don't know where anything in Rosslyn is, but this was one of the few places I did know. She grabbed on to me clumsily, so I extended my left arm, had her take that, and we began walking.

She was extremely unsteady and asked me to slow my pace several times as she proceeded very gradually and jerkily despite firmly grasping my arm. I wondered if she had not been rendered newly blind, because most of the blind people I've seen in the past are well adapted and probably more steady on their feet than I am. I noted some odd glances from passers-by and it crossed my mind that we were probably a sight to see - a doofy tall young white man escorting an older blind black woman.

Luckily, the cafe was not far and we arrived shortly. I opened the door for her and ushered her in. I helped her find the drink she wanted and directed her to where she could order her food. Since she seemed to have trouble with most activities I inquired if there was anyone that was supposed to be helping her, but she assured me she was fine. I know the owner of the cafe and he said he would make sure she had an escort when she left the cafe.

The point of this story is that when I left I was firmly reminded how fortunate I am - and most of us are - in life. I'm not blind, deaf, maimed, or have any other really serious disadvantages in life. I'm mostly healthy (with a few minor caveats), I have a well-paying job, most of my immediate friends and family are still living. However, often I find myself unhappy with various aspects of my life and those problems can seem so glaring at the time, but it's amazing how something as simple as the gift of sight can remind me that there are people in the world with far more severe troubles. I hope I don't lose sight (hmmm... maybe poor choice of words) of that fact in the future.