Why I go blind every morning

Every morning for about 20 minutes I go completely blind I cannot see anything except blackness I fumble and grope about my house very slowly in case I bump into something or knock something over or worse fall and injure myselfMost people squint when they first open their eyes in the morning and daylight floods in My left eye can hardly bear any light so I keep it tightly shut I keep the right one at a squint just enough to find the tap and the toothbrush Thus while my eyes slowly get used to the surrounding light my day beginsThree weeks ago blundering around eyes halfshut I had a perverse thought What if I was really blind Would I be able to survive in my own house I squeezed both eyes closed My world went blackAnd so it began a startling experiment in blind mindfulness every morningIn my 20 minutes I have only a few todos brush my teeth set coffee brewing in a French press peel a dozen almonds soaked the night before and make myself a cup of coffeeNot the labours of Hercules to be sure Unless you happen to have no vision Here are some things I learned about myself and my immediate world mdash just by being blindYour mind cannot afford to drift when youre blind Every action requires intense detailed attention If I was walking from bedroom to kitchen mdash 1214 steps mdash I had to be alert not to walk into the edge of the door or veer off into the IKEA bookshelf or slip on the iPhone charger cable on the floor Eyes closed you have no way to know if you are not walking in a straight line My attention became like a laser beam in those 20 minutesToothpaste I was in my oddshaped bathroom toothbrush in hand nearly empty Sensodyne tube in the other I realised with mild panic that toothpaste makes no sound when it emerges I have no way to know when to stop squeezing The first day I tried this I was so focused on the paste that I didnt realise the brush had flipped downwards and received the toothpaste on the wrong side I still dont have a foolproof solution for this that doesnt require touching the pasteBrewing coffee My living room is open plan and includes a square compact and attractive kitchen Cutting and chopping takes place on a narrow marble counter about six feet wide on the left A foot or so above it but pushed towards the back is a marble ledge where I keep coffee grinds sugar a utensils jar a compact weighing scale and so onFacing the kitchen I knew the sink would be diagonally to the right the electric kettle directly ahead and the soaked almonds somewhere between the twoThe kitchen tap has a water filter with a front lever that toggles it between normal water a fine spray and microfiltered water How could I be certain I was filling the kettle with filtered water without being able to see the flowBy sound of course My ears were already on alert since my eyes had stopped passing on data My finehoned attention detected the difference between the sound of water flowing versus water spraying something that I had never noticed when sightedNext mdash peril I had successfully tipped a tablespoon of coffee grinds into the French press But now I had to fill it with scalding water How to know when it had reached the right level How to replace the lid correctly blocking the lip to seal the aroma in Perhaps I could keep a finger on the metal holder perhaps it would heat up as hot water rose towards itIt didnt My first days coffee was a catastropheAlmonds I poured out the presumably brownish water rinsed the nuts and spread them on a square tissue Peeling almonds requires utter concentration Its easy enough to start at the tip peel the loose skin down and then peel around the almond sideways But how do you know youve not left small patches of brown skin unpeeled My fingers became exquisitely textureconscious getting better every day at sensing rough skin from smooth almond Today after 22 days I peeled every almond completely for the first time I felt like HerculesStarting your day blind is a walking living meditation that clears your head wakes you up and makes you intensely mindful Your world changes My focus improved I felt grateful for my sight and thanked the universe for every colour sound and textureOh and I reduced my carbon footprint When I opened my eyes the house was dark I had just not switched on the lightsHere viewed from there C Y Gopinath in Bangkok throws unique light and shadows on Mumbai the city that raised him You can reach him at cygopigmailcom Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individuals and dont represent those of the paperCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates