Blizzard '09...

There is a common saying, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow; however, I was saying let it stop! When I had my eyesight, I loved looking out of my window at the white snow flakes falling down, but being out in it was a different story. What may look beautiful to the human eye or imagination, can be very deceiving. Let’s just say, although I was not able to see the snow, I was able to use my other senses such as my hearing, touch, and smell.
I find it very interesting to listen to the various sounds within the world, especially the noises of nature. Riding home from my internship with my colleague, who is also my neighbor, I could hear the snow flakes falling briskly against the windshield, as the wipers swished back and forth to wipe them away. The sound of the wipers and the snow falling made a weird rhythmic movement as we drove along the streets. In addition, the sound of the tires trudging through the snow became apparent as we tried to maneuver our way through the blizzard. The hums of the wind, snow falling, windshield wipers swishing, and cars tracking in the snow, made the journey home intriguing. However, one sound that no one wants to hear, especially a visually impaired person, is the driver saying that they can’t see either! LOL! The windshield had fogged and the visibility was difficult because of all of the snow. After hearing my neighbor say this, I was thinking to myself, well that’s great, two people who can’t see the road in a blizzard! Whoa! My neighbor thought about what she said and mentioned that she probably should not have told me that…yeah, that’s the last thing a blind person wants to hear LOL! Luckily, the windshield cleared up and we slowly continued on our adventure.
Once we made it to our destination, I felt like jumping for joy that we made it safely and I thanked my neighbor. However, once I got out of the car, my thanks to my neighbor was cut short, as the snow flakes were hitting my face at what it felt like to be 100mph. I tried to pull my hood over my hair, but that did not help a whole lot I was drenched from the cold wet snow. As I walked, my boots started to fill with snow and my feet began to get that tingling feeling; which made me realize that I need to invest in some new boots. In addition, I find it hard to use my cane in the snow, especially when there is a lot of it because that darn thing kept getting stuck! With the snow hitting my face, filling my shoes, toes tingling, and the stiff brisk air which made it hard for me to actually breathe, my other senses definitely let me know I was in a blizzard!