Taking a walk through Battersea Park I felt out of sorts. With a lot on my mind I almost felt like I wasn’t really walking but floating on a cloud. Feeling a little unsure and a little apprehensive. Moving back to Ireland is overwhelming, a new job, a new house, an experience I should be used to by now but still never prepared for.

We can spend our lives moving and changing yet we are never ready for it. Much like death, we will all experience it at some stage in life, its inevitable yet we never know how to deal with the emotion it entails.

Back to my walk, I strolled along the path that ran parallel to the Thames and instead of enjoying the sun beating down on my skin, I was trying to reassure myself how lucky I am, what a good place I am in and while having this inner lecture with myself my thought process was interrupted by a scraping noise. It got louder as I walked and I looked up.

What was coming against me was a blind man using his walking aid to guide him along the gravel track. Suddenly my eyes opened. Here was this man who can see only darkness walking alone through a very busy park full of trees, uneven ground and tree roots running in all directions but he was walking his way along without a bother in the world, probably enjoying the fresh air.

Sometimes we can become engulfed in emotion and see only darkness. We see darkness everywhere we look at at everytime of the day yet we have sight. We have the freedom to walk on any terrain without a walking aid because our eyes guide us over the land we walk upon. Have you ever stopped to think how lucky you are to have vision? To be able to stroll in the park, along a street, around your house? The blind man really only sees darkness and nothing else. Yet he hasn’t stopped living.

He opened my eyes. I ventured further into the park and sat on a bench and watched the world around me. I admired the sun beaming off the trees which were different shades of green. I watched the water fountain as it danced in the pond. I smiled at all the dogs running freely, fetching a ball, jumping in the pond, lying beside their owner, dogs of all shapes and sizes. How wonderful the gift of sight.

I know many of us experience dark days but watching that blind man made me appreciate the simple things in life, the things we take for granted. We are constantly searching for bigger and better and never take a moment to realise what we have here and now.

How blessed are those who have sight. To experience the wonders of the world around us. We just need to open our eyes and our hearts.

Meghann 

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(Written July 2014 when I lived in London)