Blind Faith with Brooke Keeton Brooke Keeton

Cleaning, we all have to whether we want to or not and for me cleaning became difficult and lead to me feeling bad about myself… Partly I was having a hard time because of stressors in my life but also I was having a hard time facing up to losing my site and doing the things that needed to be done to adapt… There is grief involved in losing your site and some denial… Obviously there is a point where you can’t deny it any longer but also I didn’t want to I Love life part of that is loving my home which helps me to love myself so I’ve been getting it together and getting my groove back with cleaning…

The latest part of my journey is going back to work… Something I’ve put off for a long time due to fear but no more! I’ve worked through as much as I possibly can and sometimes you just have to take your discomfort with you and get to it… Luckily I have friends and mentors in my life to help me… A quick phone call and a great workout session and I’m back on track… We all lose our site sometimes, pun intended, but it’s never too late no matter where you are in life to find a purpose and keep moving forward… we all want and deserve a life of dignity and I’ve been guilty of losing mine and even letting people take it from me but now I know better… Nobody can take anything from you if you don’t let them☺️

In my journey to grow into my blindness, I decided about a year ago it might be time to investigate a guide dog… So I found out there are all kinds of tasks to do before I qualify… This led me to mobility training with the Laney and Odyssey that started in January and wrapped up last week! Today it is life changing… It is freedom! Also, this is my first episode recorded on my own without help from Andrea Metcalf, so bear with me while I expand my learning curve!

Many people think that because I am blind, I couldn't cook meals for myself. But if I was to tell you the most important tools for cooking, I would have sharp knives at the top of the list and good tools that are organized. 

One of the things I think about from a class I took with my friend Andrea Metcalf, Mindful eating, is mindful cooking and planning are key. If I can get one day of the week for planning and preparation cooking, it makes mealtime more fun and healthy.  Most of the time, I am cooking for myself and you don't always want to do that.  I eat healthier meals when I plan them. 

Today I will be making a Fennel and Citrus Salad. listen and enjoy!  I hope you try to salad!

I'm Brooke Keeton. I have Stargardt which is a form of blindness. I hope to inspire you to be all that you dream of... nothing should stop you from creating your best life. Life can be as happy as you make it - people would probably think that watching a movie in a theatre when you're blind is silly... you can't see the movie after all.. but for me, it can be a happy place. you find happiness where you find it. Just look around and join me as I share my journey through life seeing all the highs and lows as I start another new chapter in my life. thank you for joining and please share with anyone you know who has friends or family that are blind. I am always interested in hearing from other visually disable persons and would love to share their stories. 

brookekeeton88@gmail.com