Audio Tidbits

Okay, it's time to get up and moving. But not so quick. I do have a couple of thoughts to share first.

If you've not been able to see for a long time, this is probably nothing new or particularly interesting for you. I'm sure tempted to skip on past the basics to the good stuff, including phone apps and cool gadgets. I might even suggest a few podcasts specifically for those of us who can't see. But all in good time. First, I need to share a few tips with those of you who recently joined the can't see club, and also with those of you who just want to understand how those of us who can't se do what we do.

First, a white cane or handy stick of some sort would likely be helpful as you get up and about. I did tell you that I don't know everything about not seeing, or how other people are able to do what they do without seeing, didn't I? Well, this is one of those times. I have never used a white cane and don't actually know how to use one. People who are proficient with a white cane have a skill set that I simply don't have. Nonetheless, if you can't see and get a chance to learn how to use a white cane, go for it, without any hesitation. It would be a good addition to your toolbox.

Second, if someone is going to help you get around, they are likely to hold your arm or hand, trying to guide or lead you. This usually doesn't work out very well. Better is for you to hold their arm or touch them. What makes the difference, you ask?

That is a great question. It's the difference between being lead and following. Following is much easier. With the best of intentions, people holding you will tend to push and pull. When they do, it's hard to know exactly what they want you to do or which direction they want you to go. Much easier is to hold their arm and follow them. I don't think I fully understand the difference well enough to completely explain it, but for me, following is always better. Try it both ways to see which works best for you.

Just as an aside, when it comes to getting up and walking around, I have a tip and a caution, but I'm starting with the caution. More often than not, if you bump into something or bang your head, the reason is simple. You started moving before you gave any thought to where you are and how to get to where you want to be.

The next most likely reason for those bumps and bangs is not thinking about where you want to go and how you are doing as you move toward where you want to be. You just start out without any further thought. The point is that you stop paying attention at your own risk. It usually turns out fine, but now and then, you will wish that you had been more attentive.

Now that I have gotten us past the preliminaries, let's get to the first tip. Yes, there are quite a few tips and techniques for moving around without seeing, but let's start with what I think is likely principle number 1. It's all about the angles. I know, I mentioned that in the last episode of Blind How. Even so, it's really true.

I'm going to assume that you want to walk around where you live. We can start inside and save outside for later.

You have made a mental map of where you live, haven't you? You need it now. The more detailed your mental map is, the easier moving around will be.

The key to walking around without running into things or getting somewhere you didn't want to be is moving from point to point on your mental map, and not trying to go from where you are straight to where you want to be. It actually is as easy as that.

As you walk, you know you are at the next waypoint when you touch it with your hand, or perhaps your leg. Keep your hand up so you find the wall or other waypoint before banging into it. It's not necessary to reach out. It's usually enough to just hold your arm up some, with your hand bent forward. You only need to walk slowly enough to give yourself a ch...

Okay, it's time to get up and moving. But not so quick. I do have a couple of thoughts to share first.

If you've not been able to see for a long time, this is probably nothing new or particularly interesting for you. I'm sure tempted to skip on past the basics to the good stuff, including phone apps and cool gadgets. I might even suggest a few podcasts specifically for those of us who can't see. But all in good time. First, I need to share a few tips with those of you who recently joined the can't see club, and also with those of you who just want to understand how those of us who can't se do what we do.

First, a white cane or handy stick of some sort would likely be helpful as you get up and about. I did tell you that I don't know everything about not seeing, or how other people are able to do what they do without seeing, didn't I? Well, this is one of those times. I have never used a white cane and don't actually know how to use one. People who are proficient with a white cane have a skill set that I simply don't have. Nonetheless, if you can't see and get a chance to learn how to use a white cane, go for it, without any hesitation. It would be a good addition to your toolbox.

Second, if someone is going to help you get around, they are likely to hold your arm or hand, trying to guide or lead you. This usually doesn't work out very well. Better is for you to hold their arm or touch them. What makes the difference, you ask?

That is a great question. It's the difference between being lead and following. Following is much easier. With the best of intentions, people holding you will tend to push and pull. When they do, it's hard to know exactly what they want you to do or which direction they want you to go. Much easier is to hold their arm and follow them. I don't think I fully understand the difference well enough to completely explain it, but for me, following is always better. Try it both ways to see which works best for you.

Just as an aside, when it comes to getting up and walking around, I have a tip and a caution, but I'm starting with the caution. More often than not, if you bump into something or bang your head, the reason is simple. You started moving before you gave any thought to where you are and how to get to where you want to be.

The next most likely reason for those bumps and bangs is not thinking about where you want to go and how you are doing as you move toward where you want to be. You just start out without any further thought. The point is that you stop paying attention at your own risk. It usually turns out fine, but now and then, you will wish that you had been more attentive.

Now that I have gotten us past the preliminaries, let's get to the first tip. Yes, there are quite a few tips and techniques for moving around without seeing, but let's start with what I think is likely principle number 1. It's all about the angles. I know, I mentioned that in the last episode of Blind How. Even so, it's really true.

I'm going to assume that you want to walk around where you live. We can start inside and save outside for later.

You have made a mental map of where you live, haven't you? You need it now. The more detailed your mental map is, the easier moving around will be.

The key to walking around without running into things or getting somewhere you didn't want to be is moving from point to point on your mental map, and not trying to go from where you are straight to where you want to be. It actually is as easy as that.

As you walk, you know you are at the next waypoint when you touch it with your hand, or perhaps your leg. Keep your hand up so you find the wall or other waypoint before banging into it. It's not necessary to reach out. It's usually enough to just hold your arm up some, with your hand bent forward. You only need to walk slowly enough to give yourself a chance to stop once your hand touches the wall, or corner, or perhaps the refrigerator.

Here's the deal with those angles.

So far, everything I have discussed, and the tips to go along, can be done sitting down. If getting up and walking around are not in your wheelhouse, there are many more things you can do, but for now, I want to shift to walking around. I'll get back in future episodes of Blind How to the wide range of stuff you can do without needing to walk.

Let me just skip right over how easy walking around is if you can see. I can't see and walking around is for me, a daily challenge. Let's also get past the notion that, even though you can't see, it's possible for you to learn to walk around, never tripping, bumping into things, knocking things over and not even occasionally banging your head or other sensitive area into a wall or stray chair. Maybe someone who can't see, somewhere, but not me and most likely, not you either. Bumps, bruises and similar annoyances are inevitable, if walking around is in your daily routine.

I have a robot vacuum cleaner that has learned to vacuum the floors in my house, without any additional directions or intervention. Okay, it only usually vacuums my house without any intervention by me, except when it gets stuck or can't find its way back to its dock. I call it Jake. If it successfully vacuums and returns to its dock, I can say, "That's just Jake." If it gets stuck or can't find its way home, that's just a Jake mistake.

Here's the point. Jake made itself a map of my house which it now uses to vacuum. With a little human help, it knows where each room is, how to get from room to room and its way back to its dock, most of the time. Making its map took a while, but it is pretty independent now. Just Jake, don't you think?

Here's the deal. I'm smarter than Jake, and so are you. I can make a mental map of my house and can use it when walking around. Making my mental map took a while, but now that I have it, walking around my house is just Jake, most of the time.

Step one is to make the mental map of my space. I have one for my house and others for places I regularly go. When I go to a new location, I immediately start making a mental map of that place. The longer I am at a specific location and the more often I return there, the better my mental map for that location gets.

"How do I make a mental map," you ask? If possible, I get someone to show me around, I ask about the location where I am, I listen to the sounds and noises around me and to what people around say about where things are and what they look like. Over time, I collect more and more data about the place. The more data I collect and the more familiar I become with the location, the more useful my mental map becomes.

Is that the end of it? Is having a really good mental map of a place all there is to it? Would that that were true. I could just focus on my mental map and walk around with no mistakes, errors or issues. But instead of being the end of it, having a working mental map is what gamblers call table stakes. You need that mental map just to get into the walking around game. Without it, you are lost and would be well-advised to stay seated. At least, in your chair, you aren't likely to bump into a wall or trip over the dog toys on the floor. – But if that's not Jake for you, make a mental map everywhere you are and everywhere you go.

That's enough to think about for this episode of Blind How. In the next and future episodes, I will have some tips and suggestions for making mental maps and for how to use them, successfully and safely. Here's a hint: it's all about the angles.

So far, everything I have discussed, and the tips to go along, can be done sitting down. If getting up and walking around are not in your wheelhouse, there are many more things you can do, but for now, I want to shift to walking around. I'll get back in future episodes of Blind How to the wide range of stuff you can do without needing to walk.

Let me just skip right over how easy walking around is if you can see. I can't see and walking around is for me, a daily challenge. Let's also get past the notion that, even though you can't see, it's possible for you to learn to walk around, never tripping, bumping into things, knocking things over and not even occasionally banging your head or other sensitive area into a wall or stray chair. Maybe someone who can't see, somewhere, but not me and most likely, not you either. Bumps, bruises and similar annoyances are inevitable, if walking around is in your daily routine.

I have a robot vacuum cleaner that has learned to vacuum the floors in my house, without any additional directions or intervention. Okay, it only usually vacuums my house without any intervention by me, except when it gets stuck or can't find its way back to its dock. I call it Jake. If it successfully vacuums and returns to its dock, I can say, "That's just Jake." If it gets stuck or can't find its way home, that's just a Jake mistake.

Here's the point. Jake made itself a map of my house which it now uses to vacuum. With a little human help, it knows where each room is, how to get from room to room and its way back to its dock, most of the time. Making its map took a while, but it is pretty independent now. Just Jake, don't you think?

Here's the deal. I'm smarter than Jake, and so are you. I can make a mental map of my house and can use it when walking around. Making my mental map took a while, but now that I have it, walking around my house is just Jake, most of the time.

Step one is to make the mental map of my space. I have one for my house and others for places I regularly go. When I go to a new location, I immediately start making a mental map of that place. The longer I am at a specific location and the more often I return there, the better my mental map for that location gets.

"How do I make a mental map," you ask? If possible, I get someone to show me around, I ask about the location where I am, I listen to the sounds and noises around me and to what people around say about where things are and what they look like. Over time, I collect more and more data about the place. The more data I collect and the more familiar I become with the location, the more useful my mental map becomes.

Is that the end of it? Is having a really good mental map of a place all there is to it? Would that that were true. I could just focus on my mental map and walk around with no mistakes, errors or issues. But instead of being the end of it, having a working mental map is what gamblers call table stakes. You need that mental map just to get into the walking around game. Without it, you are lost and would be well-advised to stay seated. At least, in your chair, you aren't likely to bump into a wall or trip over the dog toys on the floor. – But if that's not Jake for you, make a mental map everywhere you are and everywhere you go.

That's enough to think about for this episode of Blind How. In the next and future episodes, I will have some tips and suggestions for making mental maps and for how to use them, successfully and safely. Here's a hint: it's all about the angles.

If you, like me, can't see, set it and forget it has a whole other significance. I know, you don't lose track of your stuff. You resent my suggesting that, just because you can't see, you might not remember where you set something down or where you put it.

I apologize, so let me start this over. I sometimes set things down or put them somewhere and can't remember where. Even worse, I look for whatever it was and end up knocking it over, spilling it or maybe just bumping it, with the result that it goes flying and I have an even harder time finding it.

If I could see, I would just look around and would usually find whatever was temporarily lost. I can't. I don't.

Okay, you've got the idea. I occasionally set it and forget it.

If that ever happens to you, here are a couple of tips. First, work on putting things away, where they belong. Yes, I'm actually serious. Even if you plan to use it again fairly soon, take the extra minute to put it away, back where it's easy to find. It's nearly as easy to get into the habit of putting things away as it is to habitually set things down willy-nilly. "I'll put it away later" is mostly a sign of laziness. That isn't much of an issue, unless you can't see. But if you don't mind not being able to find your stuff, don't bother with getting into the habit of putting them away.

Here is my second tip. If you need to set something down while completing a task or activity, put it beside something else that doesn't move, and that you always know where it is. This comes up when working in the kitchen, at your desk, in your workshop, etc. You need to lay down a tool or supply while you do something else. It needs to be handy when you need it.

The main point here is not to just randomly lay it down in an open area on a counter or other surface. Put it next to the wall, against an appliance or other object that you seldom move, or beside another fixed object. The idea is that you can first locate the spot that doesn't move and then locate whatever you sat down.

This technique is much harder to explain than to do. It's like having a mental map showing where things are. When setting something down, put it next to a familiar landmark on your mental map. Then, even if you forget where you put it, it's easier to check near the usual landmarks than to have to randomly search around for it. It will make finding your stuff even easier if you get into the habit of trying to always use the same reference landmarks as much as you can. If you set things down beside the regular landmarks, they will be easier to find, when you set it but forget where.

A quick reminder and a tiny extra tip:

Remember to move your hand low and slow when reaching for whatever you have temporarily set aside or laid down. More detail about this is in an earlier episode of Blind How. The tiny tip is to always lay knives down with the cutting edge away from you and on the other side of where you may be feeling for it. The same edge that can cut a cucumber can and will cut your finger, if you aren't careful.

If you, like me, can't see, set it and forget it has a whole other significance. I know, you don't lose track of your stuff. You resent my suggesting that, just because you can't see, you might not remember where you set something down or where you put it.

I apologize, so let me start this over. I sometimes set things down or put them somewhere and can't remember where. Even worse, I look for whatever it was and end up knocking it over, spilling it or maybe just bumping it, with the result that it goes flying and I have an even harder time finding it.

If I could see, I would just look around and would usually find whatever was temporarily lost. I can't. I don't.

Okay, you've got the idea. I occasionally set it and forget it.

If that ever happens to you, here are a couple of tips. First, work on putting things away, where they belong. Yes, I'm actually serious. Even if you plan to use it again fairly soon, take the extra minute to put it away, back where it's easy to find. It's nearly as easy to get into the habit of putting things away as it is to habitually set things down willy-nilly. "I'll put it away later" is mostly a sign of laziness. That isn't much of an issue, unless you can't see. But if you don't mind not being able to find your stuff, don't bother with getting into the habit of putting them away.

Here is my second tip. If you need to set something down while completing a task or activity, put it beside something else that doesn't move, and that you always know where it is. This comes up when working in the kitchen, at your desk, in your workshop, etc. You need to lay down a tool or supply while you do something else. It needs to be handy when you need it.

The main point here is not to just randomly lay it down in an open area on a counter or other surface. Put it next to the wall, against an appliance or other object that you seldom move, or beside another fixed object. The idea is that you can first locate the spot that doesn't move and then locate whatever you sat down.

This technique is much harder to explain than to do. It's like having a mental map showing where things are. When setting something down, put it next to a familiar landmark on your mental map. Then, even if you forget where you put it, it's easier to check near the usual landmarks than to have to randomly search around for it. It will make finding your stuff even easier if you get into the habit of trying to always use the same reference landmarks as much as you can. If you set things down beside the regular landmarks, they will be easier to find, when you set it but forget where.

A quick reminder and a tiny extra tip:

Remember to move your hand low and slow when reaching for whatever you have temporarily set aside or laid down. More detail about this is in an earlier episode of Blind How. The tiny tip is to always lay knives down with the cutting edge away from you and on the other side of where you may be feeling for it. The same edge that can cut a cucumber can and will cut your finger, if you aren't careful.

For those of us who can't see, there are quite a few potentially awkward situations that come up now and then. We usually make it through them with a minimum of embarrassment, although it would be better to figure out how to avoid them in the first place.

As trivial as it may seem to people who can see, simply handing something to someone else or having him or her hand something to us is often one of those awkward situations. If both people in the exchange can see, passing something to someone else seldom results in an issue. But before pursuing this, I do want to point out that, even people who can see occasionally fumble the exchange. Drinks get spilled and things are dropped. Please keep this in mind the next time there is an accident. It may have very well been the person who can see who fumbled.

To keep accidents at a minimum though, I have a few suggestions for handing things to people who can see, and for taking things being handed to us.

The first tip is probably obvious but is also frequently skipped as the first and often the best option. Don't try to hand something to someone else, especially if it is easily seen by him or her or might spill or break. Simply say, "Sure, you are welcome to it;" or perhaps, "Help yourself."

If you do need to pick it up and hand it to them, pick it up and hold it toward them. Don't reach it out or move it around. Let them do the reaching.

If someone is handing something to you, tip one is to not reach for it at all. Ask them to please lay it on the table or some other surface, where you can easily find it. This frequently comes up in restaurants. Just wait with your hands in your lap until the meal is served.

Especially if you are being handed a glass or cup of something that can spill, hold your hand open as if you were going to pick up the glass, bottle or cup. Turn your hand so your fingertips are pointing down. Now put your hand on the table or other surface where you want the glass to be placed. Notice how your thumb and index finger form a circle where the glass or cup should go. Most often, the person who can see will automatically set the glass conveniently inside the circle you have made with your hand. You only need to very gently move your hand until you locate the glass, and then carefully pick it up and have a refreshing drink.

Having something handed to us can be more awkward than handing something to someone else. Why, you ask? The person doing the handing frequently expects us to reach for it and take it from their hand. There may be an uncomfortable silence, while the other person wonders why you aren't reaching to take what is being handed to you. Even worse, they may lay it down or set it down, expecting you to reach and pick it up.

Tip two is easy. If you are being handed something by someone who may not know you can't see, just say, "I can't see and will appreciate your handing it to me." When they do hand it to you, remember to say, "Thank you."

One final little tip. For most things, hold your hand, or both hands if appropriate, in front of you at about chest level, as if you already were holding the object being handed to you. People will usually deposit the object in your hand, ready for you to grasp it. However you deal with it, hold still and don't move your hands around. When people hand stuff to us, our hands should not be a moving target.

There is one hidden tip in there that might be missed. Even if you have a white Cane, dark glasses and your friendly guide dog, some people won't get it that you can't see. I usually say early on, "I can't see. I just thought it might help for you to know that." No, not to everyone, every time. But whenever the contact is more than passing, mentioning it can't hurt and often helps.

For those of us who can't see, there are quite a few potentially awkward situations that come up now and then. We usually make it through them with a minimum of embarrassment, although it would be better to figure out how to avoid them in the first place.

As trivial as it may seem to people who can see, simply handing something to someone else or having him or her hand something to us is often one of those awkward situations. If both people in the exchange can see, passing something to someone else seldom results in an issue. But before pursuing this, I do want to point out that, even people who can see occasionally fumble the exchange. Drinks get spilled and things are dropped. Please keep this in mind the next time there is an accident. It may have very well been the person who can see who fumbled.

To keep accidents at a minimum though, I have a few suggestions for handing things to people who can see, and for taking things being handed to us.

The first tip is probably obvious but is also frequently skipped as the first and often the best option. Don't try to hand something to someone else, especially if it is easily seen by him or her or might spill or break. Simply say, "Sure, you are welcome to it;" or perhaps, "Help yourself."

If you do need to pick it up and hand it to them, pick it up and hold it toward them. Don't reach it out or move it around. Let them do the reaching.

If someone is handing something to you, tip one is to not reach for it at all. Ask them to please lay it on the table or some other surface, where you can easily find it. This frequently comes up in restaurants. Just wait with your hands in your lap until the meal is served.

Especially if you are being handed a glass or cup of something that can spill, hold your hand open as if you were going to pick up the glass, bottle or cup. Turn your hand so your fingertips are pointing down. Now put your hand on the table or other surface where you want the glass to be placed. Notice how your thumb and index finger form a circle where the glass or cup should go. Most often, the person who can see will automatically set the glass conveniently inside the circle you have made with your hand. You only need to very gently move your hand until you locate the glass, and then carefully pick it up and have a refreshing drink.

Having something handed to us can be more awkward than handing something to someone else. Why, you ask? The person doing the handing frequently expects us to reach for it and take it from their hand. There may be an uncomfortable silence, while the other person wonders why you aren't reaching to take what is being handed to you. Even worse, they may lay it down or set it down, expecting you to reach and pick it up.

Tip two is easy. If you are being handed something by someone who may not know you can't see, just say, "I can't see and will appreciate your handing it to me." When they do hand it to you, remember to say, "Thank you."

One final little tip. For most things, hold your hand, or both hands if appropriate, in front of you at about chest level, as if you already were holding the object being handed to you. People will usually deposit the object in your hand, ready for you to grasp it. However you deal with it, hold still and don't move your hands around. When people hand stuff to us, our hands should not be a moving target.

There is one hidden tip in there that might be missed. Even if you have a white Cane, dark glasses and your friendly guide dog, some people won't get it that you can't see. I usually say early on, "I can't see. I just thought it might help for you to know that." No, not to everyone, every time. But whenever the contact is more than passing, mentioning it can't hurt and often helps.

Do you like to play lost and found? Most people don't like it much, especially if it's their stuff that is lost. Even so, the found part of lost and found works okay for most everyone. And therein lies the problem.

For those of us who can't see, losing our stuff is frequently followed by not finding our stuff. Instead of lost and found, we are left with lost and still searching, or too often, lost and quit looking. Nothing to do but get along without our stuff, or wait until someone who can see happens by to find it for us.

So what's the deal? Why can't we find our stuff? Like everyone else, those of us who can't see don't put things away when we are finished using them, lay thing down but forget where, toss things on a table or chair without thinking about it, or move things to a new location but don't remember where that is.

Of course, the issue when we can't see is that looking around for stuff is not an option. That brings us back to BATS, discussed in an earlier episode of Blind How. "What do BATS have to do with it?" you ask. BATS is our Best Alternative To Seeing, and since we can't look around, we definitely need an alternative.

I sure hope you aren't expecting a quick and easy solution to the lost but not found problem. I won't like it much, if I have to disappoint you.

First comes the obvious. Put things away after you use them. Don't just lay things down or toss them on a table or chair without giving it a moment's thought. Only move things if necessary. Don't forget where you put things. If you live with other people, ask them to try to put things back where they got them. And most important, ask them not to move your stuff or other things like furniture or equipment.

That's it: your Best Alternative To Seeing, when it comes to lost and found. Just work at getting better and better at not losing or misplacing things. I think the most helpful element here for your skill set is remembering that, "I'll put it away later," isn't going to cut it for those of us who can't see.

I do have one suggestion for finding your stuff though. When something is not where you expect it to be, expand the search area a little. It may have just gotten bumped or pushed away some. But before you just keep expanding the search area, stop for a minute to think about exactly where it was the last time you had it or used it. It's probably still there.

Will you still lose or misplace things? Indeed you will. The good news is that, with practice and attention, lost and not found will frustrate you less often.

If you think this is unrealistic and too much work, you can hope someone who can see always comes along to find your stuff for you. But even if they do, if you don't remember where you put it, they may not be able to find it either.

No, I'm not going to just leave it at that. Despite our best effort, we still have times when we can't find our stuff. Fortunately, there are a few more tips that will add to your finding my stuff skill set. I'll be sharing them in the next few episodes of Blind How. But just know that not losing or misplacing your stuff in the first place is definitely your Best Alternative To Seeing.

Do you like to play lost and found? Most people don't like it much, especially if it's their stuff that is lost. Even so, the found part of lost and found works okay for most everyone. And therein lies the problem.

For those of us who can't see, losing our stuff is frequently followed by not finding our stuff. Instead of lost and found, we are left with lost and still searching, or too often, lost and quit looking. Nothing to do but get along without our stuff, or wait until someone who can see happens by to find it for us.

So what's the deal? Why can't we find our stuff? Like everyone else, those of us who can't see don't put things away when we are finished using them, lay thing down but forget where, toss things on a table or chair without thinking about it, or move things to a new location but don't remember where that is.

Of course, the issue when we can't see is that looking around for stuff is not an option. That brings us back to BATS, discussed in an earlier episode of Blind How. "What do BATS have to do with it?" you ask. BATS is our Best Alternative To Seeing, and since we can't look around, we definitely need an alternative.

I sure hope you aren't expecting a quick and easy solution to the lost but not found problem. I won't like it much, if I have to disappoint you.

First comes the obvious. Put things away after you use them. Don't just lay things down or toss them on a table or chair without giving it a moment's thought. Only move things if necessary. Don't forget where you put things. If you live with other people, ask them to try to put things back where they got them. And most important, ask them not to move your stuff or other things like furniture or equipment.

That's it: your Best Alternative To Seeing, when it comes to lost and found. Just work at getting better and better at not losing or misplacing things. I think the most helpful element here for your skill set is remembering that, "I'll put it away later," isn't going to cut it for those of us who can't see.

I do have one suggestion for finding your stuff though. When something is not where you expect it to be, expand the search area a little. It may have just gotten bumped or pushed away some. But before you just keep expanding the search area, stop for a minute to think about exactly where it was the last time you had it or used it. It's probably still there.

Will you still lose or misplace things? Indeed you will. The good news is that, with practice and attention, lost and not found will frustrate you less often.

If you think this is unrealistic and too much work, you can hope someone who can see always comes along to find your stuff for you. But even if they do, if you don't remember where you put it, they may not be able to find it either.

No, I'm not going to just leave it at that. Despite our best effort, we still have times when we can't find our stuff. Fortunately, there are a few more tips that will add to your finding my stuff skill set. I'll be sharing them in the next few episodes of Blind How. But just know that not losing or misplacing your stuff in the first place is definitely your Best Alternative To Seeing.