DRAWING THE BLIND

The reason I’m saving the world one smile at a time is because of little moments like this one I had the other night. I drew my first blind person. A young communications student from Puerto Rico and her husband/boyfriend.  Sweetest, nicest, happiest young man I think I’ve ever met.  Immediately I knew he was a very special man, and how could he be any less?  He loved this young woman so much, he was her eyes to the world and happy to be called for such a life.   I drew them both together as the rest of her family watched and social networked the moment.  It was one of the sweetest moments I’ve had drawing smiles in quite some time.  They were delightful and grateful just to be there.  She even proudly proclaimed it was her their first trip together.  He blushed.  Her mother laughed and continued to film as I drew them.
Then after I drew them,which they loved. He and the family described it to her in a variety of excited detail and gestures.  It was all very amusing to say the least.  Then with her radiant smile. She asked me “to draw her without her dark glasses, but don’t draw the scars. She was asking If I could see past the damage from the accident that caused her blindness and draw her eyes before she lost her sight.”
“Of course” I said, “I’d be delighted and honored to do so.”  The family all gathered around and described every line I drew. We all laughed, they told stories about how they met, but we never discussed the accident that took her sight. Nobody mentioned it after she showed me her scars.  It was really fun and her face was just glowing.  The onlookers seemed to be recognizing that this was indeed something special going on. I will not describe the scars. Dreadful as they were, it’s beside the point.  And the point being this is why I love saving the world one smile at a time.
Better yet, it seems the world is saving me one smile at a time. Either way, it’s a win win. And the best of it all, how many street artist do you know that can say he drew a pretty blind girl funny and she loved it?
Twice.

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