Read Online Blind Hope: An Unwanted Dog & the Woman She Rescued by Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher - Free Book Online
Authors: Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher
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over the chair and pulled out her notes for our informal meeting. I watched her eyes roam the walls around us. Each was filled to capacity with an assortment of artwork from loved ones, cavalry bits, old studded leather tack, and other western antiques and memorabilia.
Laurie appeared captivated by my mountain pictures.Majestic photographs of Mount Rainier and Mount Shasta were bordered by shots I took while climbing them. The two ice axes I had used hung between the pictures. Several images showed crevasses so massive that my house could easily fit inside their icy expanse.
Laurie kept scanning, and then she broke out with a snicker. She motioned toward a humorous plaque and mouthed, “Hey, I need one of those.”
I hung up the phone and spun around in my chair to see which item had amused her. It was a faux Wild West sign inscribed with an old western script. I read it aloud: “Put your big girl panties on and deal with it!”
We laughed, nodding in agreement.
I pointed with my thumb and said, “I love this sign because it reminds me to not take the little rough spots throughout the day so seriously. As women, we can get so hung up on such small, ridiculous things. As silly as this sign is, it really does encourage me to make big girl choices over the decisions I face while sitting at my desk.”
“Ah, speaking of choices,” Laurie said, “boy, has my little dog been showing me the true impact of the choices we make in this life. Because of her sudden blindness, I’ve had to keep her on a leash, and she can’t stand it! It’s been tough on us both.She wants her freedom; I want her safety. She wants to be the active dog she once was, and I want her to learn how to travel through this world without being destroyed by it.”
Laurie glanced out the window, where a dozen sparrows and juncos feasted at a feeder. She laughed a bit, more to herself than to me. “It’s kinda weird. So much of the dilemma I’m having with my dog is the same as what my parents once had with me.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, you know the old adage, ‘No parent can raise their child in a padded room’? Man, that has been ping-ponging around in my head these days.”
“How so?”
“I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to teach Mia to find her way through this season of her life. Now that she is almost totally blind, how do I guide her without doing everything for her? How do I allow her to learn from her own mistakes without being harmed by them? Now I understand how hard this must have been for my parents when I had more selfish desires than sense. I wanted to push against their guidance and test the limits of my freedom.”
I laughed. “Why, I’ve never done that! I was the perfect child! Completely obedient in every way. Just ask my sisters. They’ll confirm that’s absolutely true—right after they pick themselves up off the floor from laughing nearly to death!”
After our hilarity subsided, Laurie’s gaze dropped to the nubby oatmeal carpet. I could see she was drifting in thought again. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was contemplating a specific moment of conflict with her parents.
Rallying her reflections, she looked up at me. “I keep questioning whether or not to let Mia off her leash. By constantly restraining her, I wonder,
Is it safe for her body?
Maybe, but it does restrict nearly all her natural exercise. Is it safe for her mind? Nope! She tells me that every time I clip her leash to her collar. Once Mia’s on line, she acts like I’ve just slammed a prison door in her face. She hates it!
“I don’t know what to do. I do know that for my dog to exist in this world of blindness, she has to be able to learn, adapt, and grow within it. I think that can only happen if she’s allowed to explore the environment she’s going to live in. Maybe then she can discover how to deal with it, one step at a time, right?” I could tell Laurie was asking for my permission as much as my
Laurie appeared captivated by my mountain pictures.Majestic photographs of Mount Rainier and Mount Shasta were bordered by shots I took while climbing them. The two ice axes I had used hung between the pictures. Several images showed crevasses so massive that my house could easily fit inside their icy expanse.
Laurie kept scanning, and then she broke out with a snicker. She motioned toward a humorous plaque and mouthed, “Hey, I need one of those.”
I hung up the phone and spun around in my chair to see which item had amused her. It was a faux Wild West sign inscribed with an old western script. I read it aloud: “Put your big girl panties on and deal with it!”
We laughed, nodding in agreement.
I pointed with my thumb and said, “I love this sign because it reminds me to not take the little rough spots throughout the day so seriously. As women, we can get so hung up on such small, ridiculous things. As silly as this sign is, it really does encourage me to make big girl choices over the decisions I face while sitting at my desk.”
“Ah, speaking of choices,” Laurie said, “boy, has my little dog been showing me the true impact of the choices we make in this life. Because of her sudden blindness, I’ve had to keep her on a leash, and she can’t stand it! It’s been tough on us both.She wants her freedom; I want her safety. She wants to be the active dog she once was, and I want her to learn how to travel through this world without being destroyed by it.”
Laurie glanced out the window, where a dozen sparrows and juncos feasted at a feeder. She laughed a bit, more to herself than to me. “It’s kinda weird. So much of the dilemma I’m having with my dog is the same as what my parents once had with me.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, you know the old adage, ‘No parent can raise their child in a padded room’? Man, that has been ping-ponging around in my head these days.”
“How so?”
“I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to teach Mia to find her way through this season of her life. Now that she is almost totally blind, how do I guide her without doing everything for her? How do I allow her to learn from her own mistakes without being harmed by them? Now I understand how hard this must have been for my parents when I had more selfish desires than sense. I wanted to push against their guidance and test the limits of my freedom.”
I laughed. “Why, I’ve never done that! I was the perfect child! Completely obedient in every way. Just ask my sisters. They’ll confirm that’s absolutely true—right after they pick themselves up off the floor from laughing nearly to death!”
After our hilarity subsided, Laurie’s gaze dropped to the nubby oatmeal carpet. I could see she was drifting in thought again. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was contemplating a specific moment of conflict with her parents.
Rallying her reflections, she looked up at me. “I keep questioning whether or not to let Mia off her leash. By constantly restraining her, I wonder,
Is it safe for her body?
Maybe, but it does restrict nearly all her natural exercise. Is it safe for her mind? Nope! She tells me that every time I clip her leash to her collar. Once Mia’s on line, she acts like I’ve just slammed a prison door in her face. She hates it!
“I don’t know what to do. I do know that for my dog to exist in this world of blindness, she has to be able to learn, adapt, and grow within it. I think that can only happen if she’s allowed to explore the environment she’s going to live in. Maybe then she can discover how to deal with it, one step at a time, right?” I could tell Laurie was asking for my permission as much as my
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