A taste of another life

A friend of mine once said, ''We are all temporarily capable.'' This was a response to my lamenting that it only takes a split second for something to happen which could render any one of us disabled.

I got the opportunity to experience having a disability for a brief time. The local School for the Blind and Visually Impaired hosted a dinner in which the guests wore blindfolds. We were allowed a brief time to greet and get to know the rest of the people at our table and then donned the blindfolds for the rest of the meal.

Each plate that was brought to the table was accompanied by a description -- ''This is your salad. The dressing is at 10 oclock and the shredded cheese is at noon.'' ''This is your spaghetti. The garlic bread is at 3 and 9 oclock.'' They did not mention the meatballs. There were several.

I found myself eating quite slowly, obviously, trying to not spill. The whole experience left me wanting more. Not more food -- more understanding.

I learned that it is challenging to hold a conversation with several people, not knowing which voice belonged to whom. If someone got up and left the table, I was not aware and would find myself talking to air.

I wanted to explore the food with my fingertips to see what and how much was on each plate but this, of course, would have been impolite.

I was way out of my comfort zone and loving every minute of it. How does one spread dressing on a salad not knowing how big the salad is and what else is on the plate. In fact, you have to have great trust in your server to bring you the correct meal. I normally pick off any bits of lettuce that look brown, move the croutons off to the side and use only a small amount of dressing. But I could not see any of these things. Regardless, the salad was wonderful and because I was eating slowly and concentrating on what I was doing, I experienced the flavors much more fully. The same with the spaghetti. And I actually wound up eating far less than I would have otherwise. I often gulp down my meal while watching the news or reading a book, only to look down and see an empty plate, not even remembering having eaten.

The experience opened a door -- no matter how briefly -- to a world I have not yet experienced, but some day might.

Because we are all temporarily capable.

Photos will be posted on this web site after June 30.