{"id":50,"date":"2017-05-29T23:51:23","date_gmt":"2017-05-30T03:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mendingmisconceptions.com\/?p=50"},"modified":"2017-05-29T23:51:23","modified_gmt":"2017-05-30T03:51:23","slug":"the-irony-with-the-eyenurse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lilymordaunt.com\/?p=50","title":{"rendered":"The Irony With The Eyenurse"},"content":{"rendered":"

This was originally posted on May 24, 2015 at 11:25 PM on blogger.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

***<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

WARNING:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

This post may include a lack of empathy that might be jarring to those light of heart. As well as a bit of unnecessary backstory.<\/b><\/p>\n

So please, proceed with caution.<\/b><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Oh boy, to describe my weekend as interesting would be an understatement of epic proportions. I do not know how to even begin. But I will try.<\/p>\n

Yesterday morning, I woke, completed my usual morning routine, took access-a-ride (will be writing another post on the horrors of using them) to my friend, Shanice\u2019s job, where I waited at a table, eating a wonderfully prepared breakfast (she is a chef). At around 2:00, we left and headed to the train station. We were on our way to an All Time Low concert (The Future Hearts Tour).<\/p>\n

Upon arriving at the appropriate station, we asked a few questions until we were heading in the right direction. While walking, and confirming that we were heading the right way every now and then, Shanice complains of being hungry and suggests looking for food. So we decide to go back to a Subway she\u2019d seen (it was the only thing that interested her)<\/p>\n

She orders, we get our food and are back on our way.<\/p>\n

As we are walking: cane in my right hand, my other hand holding Shanice\u2019s arm, and Shanice\u2019s other holding the bag with her sandwich, it happens.<\/p>\n

Just before we step onto the sidewalk, my cane jerks in my hand and I think, dismissively, that someone\u2019s probably stumbled or kicked it. Nothing new.<\/p>\n

But then, in perfect unison with Shanice\u2019s gasped:<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my God.\u201d (through a mouthful of sandwich). I hear it.<\/p>\n

It sounded like a cross between a thud and a stinging slap. And I\u2019m stunned.<\/p>\n

As it begins to register in my mind what happened, I can\u2019t bring myself to muster the contrite expression I should be wearing. Instead, I am forced to duck my head as silent laughter splits my face into an unremorseful smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my God, are you alright?\u201d a woman asks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine. My knees. I\u2019m an eyenurse so I know how to deal with this sort of thing. I\u2019m fine.\u201d The fallen woman replies in a wavering tone. A tone she continues to use for the rest of our encounter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Shanice says. \u201cOh\u2026 did you hit your head?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. But I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my God!\u201d a new voice, a man. \u201cIs she alright?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shanice and I continued to stand there, just beyond the curb as the people began to \u201cscrape\u201d the woman off of the ground (the way it was later described to me).<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got her,\u201d the first bystander announces, her voice straining a little. \u201cI\u2019ll take her into this store. See if they\u2019ll have ice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m alright.\u201d The grounded nurse says.<\/p>\n

The man leaves.<\/p>\n

Shanice, who had sounded so distraught, whispers:<\/p>\n

\u201cDo we have to go in there? Would it be socially unacceptable if we just left?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShanice!\u201d I exclaim. \u201cBut you sounded so sincere.\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughs shamelessly and we\u2019re quiet for a moment or two. Then, through an unspoken agreement, we reluctantly head inside. The sound of shifting ice in some sort of plastic wrapping greets us as we enter.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember,\u201d the passerby says. \u201cChange it in intervals of 20 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy knees . Yes. And I need some for my head. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t forget to change it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know. I deal with this. I\u2019m an eyenurse. What do you do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c(insert medical term here)\u201d I think I heard the opth- prefix, but I wasn\u2019t sure then, and am even less certain now.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh! So we do the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d The woman replied, or something along those lines. She sounded noncommittal and like she was ready to go. Which she did, after checking on Eyenurse one more time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sorry,\u201d I say at last. I\u2019d finally had enough time to process all of what had occurred. Shanice follows suit, apologizing once more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m alright. It was my fault. I should\u2019ve been paying attention.\u201d Then she says that she\u2019d been concentrating really hard on something, or really focused on where she was going, and takes the blame once more. \u201cTell her not to feel bad, it wasn\u2019t her fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t feel bad, okay? It wasn\u2019t your fault.\u201d Shanice repeats, in a saccharine voice as she pets my hand. I irritably poke her side.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou girls can go,\u201d Eyenurse says bravely. \u201cI\u2019ll be alright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shanice apologizes again, the lady takes the blame once more, and we\u2019re out of there.<\/p>\n

Oh, the irony! Eyenurse tripping on the blind girl\u2019s cane. And then, given her profession, she doesn\u2019t know that she can address me directly? Shanice jokingly remarked that it was because I wasn\u2019t wearing my glasses, so I couldn\u2019t hear.<\/p>\n

She also described, on our way to the venue how the woman fell. Evidently, she\u2019d cut in front of us and she just saw her body go down. She said she didn\u2019t process it until her head hit the ground.<\/p>\n

Shanice was angry that her sandwich had been interrupted. And I was still faux upset that she\u2019d actually repeated what Eyenurse had said.<\/p>\n

We continued laughing and talking about it up until the show (which was awesome and a whole other blog post) and even into today. Priceless.<\/p>\n

Also, thinking about Eyenurse, she struck me as that nurse (or person in general) whose always hovering nervously, ensuring that your alright, even after countless assurances. The person to actually make you uncomfortable in her attempt to be comforting.<\/p>\n

I rarely feel remorse for those who trip on my cane if they’re walking toward me. You should be paying attention. But they get mad at me, as though I\u2019m the one at fault\u2026 for being blind? For having a cane? For my spidy senses not tingling and alerting me to their presence?<\/p>\n

If I see the person beforehand, then I will move aside, but don\u2019t rely on my vision. I do feel a little bad if I\u2019m walking behind the person and they trip. But those are usually only stumbles. The people who go down are almost always<\/i> walking toward me or turning into me, or something.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

But then, in perfect unison with Shanice\u2019s gasped:
\n \u201cOh my God.\u201d (through a mouthful of sandwich). I hear it.
\n It sounded like a cross between a thud and a stinging slap. And I\u2019m stunned …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,11],"tags":[20,22],"class_list":["post-50","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-cane-antics","category-rants","tag-concerts","tag-daily-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilymordaunt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilymordaunt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilymordaunt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lilymordaunt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lilymordaunt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=50"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lilymordaunt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilymordaunt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=50"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lilymordaunt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=50"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lilymordaunt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=50"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}