I got lost yesterday and almost got into a fight. It was mid day and I was out of smokes. My fiance is pregnant and wasn't feeling well so she settled in for a nap. It was 102° but I don't mind the heat much so I figured I would walk. Walgreens is only a few blocks down the road. It's a straight shot. It was too bright so I kept my eyes pointed to the sidewalk. Getting there was ok and I got my smokes and a soda and headed back. Being unable to see and newly blind, I was trying hard to focus on how many blocks I needed to go. I was walking casually but cautiously. The sidewalks around here are uneven and often littered with obstructions. I got distracted by some guys moving something. It was loud and I was worried about getting hit or hitting something. I got by in one piece but lost count. I didn't think much of it because my block has a non native bush that's flowering. The sent is strong enough I just figured I'd go until I smelled the bush. I felt like I had walked a little farther than expected so I started to get a little nervous as I approached a corner. I really wish I could have read the street sign but I could not. I heard some men talking across the street and thought about asking the street name. I could hear one of them leaving. I crossed when it sounded safe to do so. As I approached the curb I tossed up my hand and said hello assuming man two was still present. I second later I hear "hey how's it going" the social exchange was successful but I didn't want to bother the man so I kept going. Unknown to me, the man did not hear my initial greeting. As I was walking away I could hear his growing agitation. He cussed me to his people and I could tell he thought I was being rude. He commented about how he was just being neighborly and I just kept walking and was making statements about me being deaf or something. I bought a cane but it was a flop. I made a post about it on here somewhere. Long story short, I left it at home. I could hear the man getting angrier though I was initially confused. Surely he had to have heard my greeting but his words said he did not. I stopped where I was and turned around. "Are you talking to me?" I shouted. I waited a moment for a reply and when there was none I repeated my question and took a few steps in that direction. I am a large and imposing person at times so I imagine he was calculating the possible outcomes of engagement. His tone changed. He said "yeah, I said hey and you just kept walking. You wouldn't even look at me are you deaf? " I replied " No sir I'm not deaf. I'm just blind." I explained how my vision has been in a state of rapid decline and that without a cane I had to put extra focus into navigation. He apologized and we settled things but the situation could have escalated had either of us been in a less reasonable mood. I went about my business. There was a truck blocking my way so I went around but as I approached the next block I could tell that the corner was not lined up with the previous block. This is when the reality of my navigational concerns came into greater focus. This feature was not a regular on this walk. I should not have encountered this. I thought for a moment of returning to the man to ask direction but I didn't want to deal with him again. I tried to localize for a moment and figure out where I was but in vain. I thought hard for a moment and determined that I must have passed my street. The features on the north end failed me but a house recently burned down on the south end of my block. That in mind I decided to cut a block south and backtrack until I could smell the rubble. Then I would know when I reached my block. Even though I was certain of my plan, I was still getting scared that I would miss it again. This is the first time I got lost on the way home so it was a little jarring. Fortunately, I found the burned house two blocks back and was able to make it home. It was probably one of the craziest walks to get smokes I've had in years. I'm just glad I made it home. I won't be walking without a cane anymore though.

Ooh that would be a difficult challenge I'm used to over-describing everything I write due to me not being able to do that on my own I love it when other writers describe things so I can imagine them in my head because yeah blind people can still be visual Learners and it's painful but you know so I overcompensate a lot

The most feedback I got on my recent writing was to remember to visually describe things heh. I'm so used to not paying much attention to that input in life that it shows up in my writing out of habit.

A fiction story right? I have to dig it up for you. I tried writing a creative nonfiction one with names changed about a blind autistic kid I mentored or was the teacher aid for in middle school I was blind too. Or do you want something more realistic or fictional?

Also it’s extremely lengthy. I wrote it for a novel writing class so single space I believe could be double too it’s 50 pages but even if it’s double spaced 50 pages it’s still lengthy and is 3 chapters.

My writing task for today is this prompt. Gonna dig into it later.

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