It's A Wonderful Life

A Random Act of Kindness: Blindness Brings Kindness

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment - or the smallest act of caring: all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” 
- Leo Buscaglia

When I carry my white cane, I feel as if I am performing on the grand stage of life. The audience is you, the baffled onlooker, watching my every firm step, and as I pass by, I feel curious stares. Once upon a time, I would not have held a white cane even to save my life, which it often does now, and the change of heart is due to the overwhelming kindness the magic cane has attracted from strangers in the street. I feel a great sense of privilege, for in a busy city where one is not expected to make eye contact with strangers, where people walk around and either dodge each other’s paths or bluff for supremacy, who stare through windows on trains and who do not dare utter a word to a fellow traveler: my experience is richly different.

The magic cane speaks of acceptance and invites compassion and generosity of spirit: from mothers, from business men, from foreign tourists, from tram drivers, from waiters, from shop keepers and even from the odd drunk! Carrying the ‘magic cane’ is like holding a jeweled sculpture and feels as dignified as royalty (without the hounds of the paparazzi hot on one’s heels). Out of the shadow of a grey city street, a friendly voice inquires, “Can I help you?” Or a body sidles up close and gently touches my arm, “Do you need any help?” In an instant, I have the unexpected aid of a total stranger and often I accept gladly, knowing how much easier it is to accept their practical and willing assistance. Their joyful tone assures me too, that their eagerness to help, brings a sense of fulfilment to their lives, even if only for a few brief minutes.