Greetings Readers,

Welcome back to the blog!

The topic for today’s blog is one I’ve been planing to write, but didn’t know what or rather, when is the right time to write about this. But then I thought, you know what, why not right now, because there’s no better time to talk about it now.

I think it’s safe to say, for a lot of us, our lives have been changed, if not completely, but at least to some degree, with this ever-changing situation with COVID-19, since it started just a couple of months ago. There were and still are a lot of uncertainties, a lot of anxieties, and a lot of unknowns. But, in the midst of it all, we’re begining to realize, things like, what are really the essetial things in life, and more importantly, how do we still proceed life, while living with this virus still present, as we know, we just can’t be locked down, or shut down the economy, forever, or for a prolonged period of time. Life still goes on, not exactly the same as it used to be, but it still needs to go on. Also, I’ve seen a lot of people, both on social media and in real life, talking about living in this new normal, or rather, a normal with a lot of caution in mind. So, I decided to jump in and talk about this, as I’m no stranger to living life with caution.

I don’t think I talked about this enough, or hardly at all, both on social media and in person, about having lived a life with a lot of caution. If you know me in person, or you’ve read my previous blogs, you know that my life with a disability, at least my visual impairment and with other health challenges, they are not new. They didn’t just happen overnight. I lived with these things, the majority of my life. And because of these challenges, for a long period of my life, I was also pretty much lived in a bubble, a bubble that is obviously meant to protect me from others.

Living life with caution, for me as a very young child was like, I was around with at least one parent, or relative, almost at all time, never or rarely leaving my sight, for the fear that, if someone left me, even just for one second, I might get hurt, or something just might happen. I was never the kind of kid that played in the neighborhood park after dinnertime with the other kids, running around chasing each other to burn-off some energy before bedtime. I didn’t even have that energy, letting alone the need to burn them. Then, when I was finally at the age and able to come home from school all by myself like a big kid, I was always expected to come straight home after school, and not wondering around on the streets. And if I didn’t, the whole family would be “in chaos” about where I could be (mind you, back then I didn’t have a cell phone!).

Then, when I left home for the first time, to go to university in a completely new city and environment, just like many other young person leaving home for the very first time, calling this FREEDOM. During the first initial years, and at some point, I wanted to just toss caution out the window. But guess what, that didn’t really work out. Yes, I did go to parties, and yes, I did participated in events, even the late at night ones, which if you know me well, you know that being out late at night is never my thing. I was never reckless, or careless though. Whenever I did things that I’m not used to or comfortable, I always made sure, I stayed with people at least I know and trust, even just one person, and that sometimes is enough. And what’s more, if I was in a late-night event for instance, I made sure that there is a reliable person that is going to get me home safely afterwards. I was, and still is, always remain cautious, and plan ahead.

Then, I got sick. And ultimately, it made me more cautious, and even more vulnerable at times so I must remain cautious. When I got sick, even before getting official diagnosis from medical professionals, I well know some of the triggers/warning signs, and to take precaution accordingly. I did my best, it doesn’t mean it works every time. As you may or may not know, life with chronic illness meant that, even if you do everything right, and be as cautious as you can, things COULD still go wrong. But still, if you ask me, it’s important to be cautious.

And here we are, with COVID-19. With me already being chronically ill, and with a visual impairment, and not to mention, with so many changes as we all are adapting to, it’s not easy. Over these past few months, I think we’ve all heard the word caution being mentioned by medical as well as government officials-“that, we need to be cautious when considering the re-opening of our economy; that, there’s cautious optimism (i.e. in certain parts of the world), the epidemic is slowly getting under control…” There is always this word, caution, there.

So, I think it’s safe to say, a lot of us are beginning to have a new view on life. A more cautious and considerate way of living. Which is/could be helpful, not only for our own good but also for those around us. Lastly, I do want to note, being cautious doesn’t mean creating extra anxiety for yourself. It just means to be a little more mindful. Life is stressful enough, so we don’t need the extra stress. But, what we need, is a little more caution, that can go a long way!

By: The Invisible Vision Project