Hammermaker's corner 9.

[isaacah]

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`Hammermaker's corner 9.



Ari Isaac.



I think the technical stuff about my starting to make hammers back in =
1980, tends to get a bit monotonous maybe.=20

Let me relive a funny experience I had some years earlier while =
travelling to Victoria from Calgary. Being blind I had to evolve my own =
way of relating to people since, as the worst thing about being blind is =
- not being able to see. I needed to develop other techniques. These =
have been pretty successful to judge by the very few times I've been =
thrown out on my ear. For the first five years or so, after losing my =
sight, I felt pretty sorry for myself and pretty angry at the world at =
large because of the aspects of life in which I was limited now. After =
five years I stopped feeling sorry for myself and, gradually, gave up my =
anger at the world in general. I realized that my handicap is only as =
limiting as I allowed it to be and so I started doing just about =
everything I felt like. I used my ears, nose and sense of touch to =
accomplish my various enterprises but I got them done. Being blind, not =
seeing, gradually, stopped being a handicap. I can't drive, I could take =
a cab. I could work on our car; chage breaks, change oil, do tune-ups =
etc. If I couldn't read - I could get someone to read to me. Much later =
I could use a scanner to read any book or magazine. Things may be more =
difficult or slower to get done but that is no impediment.

The plane to Victoria was something called a 'turboprop' and it was =
negotiating severe turbulence, so much so that the breakfast coffee was =
jumping out of the cups on peoples' trays.=20

"Everyone, please stay in your seats, ladies and gentlemen" The p.a. was =
saying as my bladder rapidly filled with a medium that wanted to be free =
of it.

I am as good a citizen as the next guy and I listen to instructions. up =
to a point. When my bladder reached a point near to meltdown I got up =
and walked to the front of the aircraft since the washroom was right =
behind the cockpit.

"Sir, you need to get back in your seat right away!" The stewardess, as =
they were then called, said, confronting me and blocking my way.

I don't quite know where the idea came to me but I looked at her with a =
level glance and said, as professionally as you like -

"I need to go to the washroom".

"Sorry, captain's orders are, everyone must stay in their seat, we're =
bucking a 120 miles an hour headwind".

"Miss, how do you thing I lost my sight?"

"I don't know", she was not expecting the question so I could plow on.

"I crash landed a plane, very much like this one".

I kept a straight face and a cool, composed, glance.

"Well, in that case. I guess you can go ahead".

Ah. the relief of a newly voided bladder that was ready to explode. I =
washed my hands thinking of all the other poor devils out there =
straining to hold their various blocking muscles, unfair but. is life =
fair?

I thought I'd pulled off a neat little trick. I closed the washroom door =
and turned, the cockpit door immediately behind me, to return to my =
seat.

I felt a hand land on my shoulder and a male baritone voice was saying

"Mr. Isaac, I am the captain, Jo Smith. (I don't recall the name) I =
understand we are colleagues".

For one moment I was not there. I was in a garden on a spring morning, =
listening to the song of the birds. Then I realized I'd put my foot in =
so deep it would take a winch to pull it out. I had to think of the one =
thing, the one sentence that would get me out of this situation =
gracefully.

"Well, in a manner of speaking" I heard myself say. Was it going to =
work?

"I'd like to chat with you about it if you have a couple of minutes when =
we land" he said and I was perspiring and thinking how much trouble just =
for voiding.

"Sure, with pleasure" I allowed.

When we did land he wanted to know details of the plane, the part of the =
world and the circumstances of the crash. I made up a story and he was =
tickled pink. Whether he realized it was just a story I don't know but =
he seemed happy enough and I had to explain to my cousin, waiting at the =
gate what the delay was about.=20


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