Many waters cannot drown love

Fortunately there are still a lot of mysteries in my life - most of them concern the reasons for my own behaviour in situations that other adults navigate through like ducks on a pond.

From my own poor point of view most of them come from my innate limitations in seeing and understanding what is directly in front of my nose.

Case in point - we are really not supposed to use our personal tech on the floor of the Orchard unless specifically authorized to do so. I admit to being called out on it twice already so I promised the Store - by promising myself - that I would not do so again unless a real need arose...

... And that happened today.

A client asked for a trainer that either knew how to use sign language or had very clear handwriting - she was profoundly deaf and had very little intelligable speech.

But ye gods and little fishes did she have a wonderful smile in that grey-haired head.

I know, amongst many things I know I should know, that I should know how to sign. One of my colleagues - currently on vacation, of course - is also profoundly deaf; an interpeter is hired for him during storewide meetings and other functions.

But he wasn't there today and I was on my own.

Or, actually, I wasn't. It may be a truism but it really does take two to make a conversation and my client was willing to put up with my limitations in order to learn her computer.

Well, it takes two and one should have an iPad with Dragon Dictation loaded on it.

I was able to show her what to do by gesture, dictate the instructions into the iPad, email it to myself and then print it out so we could then write clarifications on it.

Strangely her handwriting was almost as bad as mine.

Still, we managed it. She learned the tasks she needed and, more importantly, learned why it worked the way it did, which meant she could then advance her work at home.

I suppose I tried to vocalize during the first ten minutes. After that, with the exception of doing the dictation I was silent for almost 40 minutes.

We parted with a warm handshake. I didn't use my voice until I got Back Of House.

Suddenly the intensity of concentration broke and tears came. Not in a choking flood, which is how I usually release intense emotion but in a quiet mistiness, a sense of overflowing feeling.

Now that I think of it I sometimes get the same feeling when dancing tango or when listening to a new piece of music I've written.

Connecting with people is important and, at least for me, is as natural a part of my life as swimming is for a fish - it's just a natural part of my environment ...

... except, of course, when it's not, and I am barely human.

But that is another tale for another evening.

-- Post From My iPad