Individuation

 “There is probably no more terrible instant of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man - with human flesh.”

 

This post is not about my relationship with my parents, but with my proverbial parent, The Seeing Eye Inc.

 

This organization, dedicated to the dignity and freedom of blind and visually impaired people (VIPs), gave me more than I can say in the areas of independence, dignity, knowledge, companionship, and support. They gave me my beloved Prada, and my adored Greta. They may yet give me other wonderful partners. I will continue to be grateful, and to support them throughout the rest of my life. They have been the gold standard for training service dogs for almost a century.

 

But they are an organization of humans, and humans are imperfect. They are incomplete. No single human, nor organization of humans, can have all the right answers for every situation in which every individual or group may find itself throughout time.

 

In the following weeks I will post about several areas in which my dog handling behavior and philosophy have parted ways with those of The Seeing Eye. I want to reiterate that this does not mean I’m swearing off the organization, that I don’t respect them, that I don’t believe they are good and honorable and loving people who honestly endeavor to do the best they can to serve those in need.

 

It means that I am an individual with individual needs, who has grown to the point of individuating in a healthy, non-reactive manner from her proverbial parent. I have the foundation they gave me, and I have my own experience, I have learned my own lessons, and formulated my own ideas.

 

I plan to share some of these with you in the near future. I hope you will read these thoughts in the spirit in which they are written, with nonjudgmental curiosity, with open-heartedness, and with an appreciation for where I started, what I’ve gone through, and where I am now.