Me vs. Pouring Drinks
Pouring yourself a drink. That is something that I bet the vast majority of people think nothing about doing for themselves. Easy, peasy, right? Now, imagine pouring yourself say, a cup of hot coffee while wearing a blindfold. Still easy? Nope. Not at all.
In my case, I can see a little out of one eye so it is not as much of a challenge as it is for those who are completely blind. For me, the issues are a combination of minimal depth perception combined with struggling with color contrast. This is especially a problem in lower-light environments.
SO how do I deal with it. Like with all things, I modify and adapt as best as I can. In the case of pouring coffee that I mentioned above, I tend to pour slowly and listen for when it sounds like it is getting full. These things help but as Hot Wife can attest, my record is not flawless. Let’s just say, messes have been made.
A lack of depth perception is something that most people can at least understand. Just cover one of your eyes and try to catch a tossed ball or reach for something on the counter. It is much more difficult than you would think. In my case, I also struggle to differentiate between colors that do not have a lot of contrast. Pouring lemonade into a lightcolored glass or coffee into a brown mug are good examples. The liquid just fills up and I barely notice before it is already overflowing. Super annoying, and not just for me I am sure. I could choose just the perfect contrasting color cup to go with whatever beverage and that would help but who has time for that?
When I am not pouring piping hot liquid, I can use the tip of one of my fingers to feel when I am getting close to filling up the glass. A show we used to watch had a funny phrase for this. The main character was fully blind and when his kids asked him to pour them a juice, he mentioned that they’d be getting “finger juice,” since he used his finger to measure when the cup was full. I definitely wash my hands prior to doing this and generally only do this on my own drinks, but “finger water” and “finger tea” might happen from time to time. To be safe, if you come over and I offer your a beverage, maybe pour it yourself.
