Great things about being blind. Blind people and cell phones. Funny story.

There are good and bad things about cell phones. I don't use one while I'm walking for the same reason I don't talk to friends and work my guide dog at the same time. When working with a guide dog, it is like driving I would imagine. You need to concentrate and focus on you and the dog. If I'm with friends and want to have an in depth conversation, I drop the harness, (not literally drop it on the ground of course) heel my dog and walk with my friend letting them guide me. It is the same with cell phone use. I want to be aware of all that is going on around us, be able to praise and talk to my guide, and to travel safely. However, cell phones have great uses. If I'm at a bus stop and want to know when the next bus will come, I call the automated number and check. If I get lost or turned around on my way somewhere, I can call my destination for assistance. If I'm going to a new place, I can call when I arrive for further building directions. So, one time when a friend who is blind and also has a guide dog and I were going to meet for coffee, I'm glad I had my cell phone and she had hers. We figured that the dogs would get excited to see each other and bring us together. The coffee shop was quite crowded. I arrived, got my beverage, and sat down. I wondered why my friend who is always on time was late. After about ten minutes, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed her number. I was quite shocked when a cell phone rang right near me. And then I heard, "Hello hello." She was sitting about twenty feet away waiting for me. Another customer said the two dogs were looking at each other but just lying on the floor being good. If not for a cell phone, I might have gotten up and left eventually and thought she had abandoned me. Of course, she might have heard my voice or my dog's collar when I got up. So, here's to cell phones some of the time anyway.