Flying Blind

What happens when humans and nature collide? Nature always wins!

What can I say people …?

Years before I got Bree, and even before I got the cane, I was able to move around the community with no real mobility issues. Granted, my eyesight wasn’t fantastic, but it was miles from where it is today. An incident occurred down the street that made me think perhaps there might be a problem.
 
I was walking past the local shopping centre. There wasn’t a huge amount of people or traffic, however it was certainly not a ghost town. I came around the corner of a building when a bird crashed into my face.
 
You’re probably wondering if I’m pulling your leg. I can swear with my hand on my heart, the bird flew straight into my face. Both bird and I were knocked to the ground, a little stunned. I had a gash on the side of my head, profusely bleeding, whereas the bird was sprawled on its back, seeing stars.
 
An elderly lady had seen the whole incident and, not caring about how I was feeling, she was genuinely concerned for the bloody bird. She looked at me and said, “You walked into the bird.” Shocked at her statement, I picked myself up, put my handkerchief to my head and walked home.
 
When I got home, I walked into the lounge and my wife and her sister were talking and having a cuppa. They saw the handkerchief covered with blood and were concerned for me. I blurted out “A bird flew into my face!” I have never heard two people laugh so much in my life. I can understand the absurdity of the situation now, but at the time, I couldn’t believe that a bird got more sympathy than me and that my situation looked incredibly funny to other people.

So, what did I learn?

When I walk with Bree nowadays, any sounds of magpies or plovers makes me very nervous.

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