The White Cane

The other day I was walking in Union Square when a woman bumped into me and said, “I am sorry; excuse me.” The irony to the situation is that it is usually me apologizing for bumping into someone. It was almost refreshing, but there was something different about this encounter. Normally, I would brush it off and keep walking. Today, I glanced back to see a woman in her later fifties/early sixties walking with a white cane.

This time it was me who said, “excuse me; can I ask you something?” I got up the courage to ask her how she went about securing the white cane and the training process. She was very opened and willing to share. This was a complete stranger in the middle of San Francisco with advice from one blind woman to another. We said goodbye and wished one another luck. As weird as it may sound, it was a very touching moment for me.