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Monday, February 18, 2013

Blind Faith

                                                            (Photo by Suzanne Carver)

Last week I was fortunate to be able to volunteer at the New England Blind and Visually Impaired Ski Festival (NEVI Fest) held at Sugarloaf. I've been a volunteer with Maine Adaptive Sports and Recreation for the past several years and have had many, many touching and empowering days with incredibly courageous people. But being a part of the NEVI Fest seemed to take things to a whole different level - 30 intrepid, inspiring blind or visually impaired skiers and over 70 compassionate, dedicated volunteers. The energy of the group was deeply wonderful and participating was truly a life-changing experience. Here is my attempt at capturing some of the feelings/sensations of being a blind guide in alpine skiing:
 
Blind Faith

He softly holds my arm, quietly
letting me know that he trusts me.
He cannot see, has never been able to,
and I am to be his guide.
We are student and teacher, both.
We walk out the door and he patiently waits
while I set his skis next to his feet.
We fumble for a bit, but eventually
 are ready to descend the first gentle trail.
I take a breath and gaze out over the valley,
 silently acknowledging that
this view I so dearly love,
that is ever-changing with the seasons, the clouds,
and the light of the sun,
is something he cannot enjoy.
We start down the slope as I carefully
call his turns,
the other guide making sure that
all is well.
We find a tentative rhythm and I see that
he sometimes fights the hill,
hasn’t quite internalized that
he is dancing with the mountain
and that it is on his side.
They are a team,
we all are.
I believe that I know what he needs -
a blind faith of my own.
And it starts to dawn on me that he
seems to know that I know.
We talk a bit, the give and take
of teacher and student, both.
I marvel at that blind faith,
at the trust and the courage that he,
one so young, displays
 as he does learn to feel the hill,
find his rhythm
 and dance his very own
mountain dance.
 I’m in awe as I again gaze
across my valley and see the tips of the peaks
bathed in the light of the low afternoon sun.
I feel a smile all through my body
 that is accompanied
by the sensations of
accomplishment and deep gratitude.
I’m not blind, I can see –
but it’s what I feel as I realize that
I deserve the blind faith
 he has put in me.
Student and teacher, both
sharing a faith in each other
 that actually
is not blind
at all.
Sarah Carlson
February 16, 2013


1 comment:

  1. Thank you Sarah, this is such a beautiful, thoughtful piece. It touches my heart and soul and speaks of my life as student and teacher both. I love it and you for putting yourself out there and risking. I'm so thankful our journeys merged and look forward to meandering together from time to time.

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