Sometimes when I'm out with people, I'm reminded of what I can't see anymore. It's often not that tragic, but every now and then there are small things that I realize I miss. Just like recently on the nature trail.
For the little girl who accompanied us, the path was a journey of discoveries. We saw a bear tree and a squidtree, and lots of fun foliage and plants. I could just about keep up with the flowers, as long as they weren't too small or too far away. I didn't see the spider web though. Or the grasshopper, not even when he hopped away. Movement is easier for me to see than a small stationary object, especially out of the corner of my eye. The colourful swarm of butterflies over the forest path could also have been a shadow play of wind and sun in the leaves.
Over the years, the small things seem to gradually disappear, what remains are the big ones. They are also beautiful and fascinating - and sometimes I see big things that normal sighted people do not pay attention to. Nevertheless, I can only imagine a shimmering butterfly wing in the sun - or google it. And sometimes even the big things don't work anymore: On the way home, I could only theoretically guess the rainbow, with the sun behind us and the dark rain cloud ahead.
This article is part of the series "Stargardt in Africa".