Before Travis, I had never been around anyone who was blind. When we met on September 27, 2014, the connection between us was instant. We have all liked someone and said “I like them, but…” For me, it was never “I like Travis, but he’s blind.” I immediately knew I liked him, shortly after I knew I loved him, and now I get to be his wife.
“What is it like to live with someone who is blind,” is a common question I’ve been asked since we got married three and a half months ago. Some people assume that I have to do everything, cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc., while Travis sits there and does nothing. Comments made before such as “it takes someone special to love someone like that” and “he does good” have made me out to be a saint and Travis out to be a pet that I trained. I assure you that neither are the case. These statements, while well intended, down play Travis’s role in our marriage. Thanks to God, his parents, family, friends, teachers, and mentors, Travis is an extremely capable, intelligent, independent, caring person, who just happens to be blind.
In our home, Travis helps with the cooking and cleaning. I have come home from work before to him cutting potatoes for French fries and patting out hamburger meat or fixing chicken in the crockpot. He always shakes the rugs out for me, is usually the one to make the bed, folds and puts away his clothes, empties the dehumidifier, and refills the water purifier, just to name a few things. More importantly, Travis supports me spiritually and emotionally. He is the head of our household and him praying out loud every night before we go to sleep is one of my favorite moments of the day. When I’m upset or stressed, he’s there to listen and calm me down. He also challenges and inspires me in many ways, including encouraging me to read my Bible or to face my fears of driving to places I’ve never been and being in large crowds. Travis loves me for who I am, which I know is sometimes hard to do.
So what’s it like to be married to and live with someone who is blind? I’m married to and live with my best friend, so it’s wonderful.