My Plane Ride with Tyler

For more than two years now, I've had the luxury of working from home and not having to travel as I did before. Before my current gig, I traveled anywhere from 30 to 48 weeks of the year. The only time I was off the road, was either for vacation, which I was seldom allowed to take, or for the birth of a child. Now when I travel, it's either for pleasure or a conference of some sort. The kind of traveling that doesn't seem to wear you out as much.
My most recent trip was to Seattle to get organized with my customer on what this years initiatives are. It's always good to see faces that often times you only get to associate email addresses and phone conversations with. Since I had plenty of notice for this trip, I had book my reservations in advance and was able to get bulk head seating. I always like bulk head seats, and the isle seat in bulk head, so I can "almost" sit in first class.
Boarding the plane early, I was able to get my reading material ready and get my briefcase put away in ample time for the mad rush of fellow passengers. As I lay back in my seat to close my eyes, I feel a whack at my ankle, like someone taking a stick and nailing me with it. As I open my eyes I notice that it was indeed a stick, a blind person's walking stick. To my surprise, my new friend for the next two hours has boarded the plane and is ready to take his seat right next to me.
After getting situated, Tyler leans over and introduces himself to me, saying that his name is Tyler and that I shouldn't get freaked out if he goes into a seizure. It's normal and will pass in 20 to 30 seconds. I thought to myself, great, please don't have a seizure on me. After sitting there for a while, I notice Tyler taking a book out and reading braille. Now I've always been fascinated with braille and how they read this way. I then asked him how he did it and he told me that he can read in 7 different languages. Here I can barely read in one and he can read in 7 and by the looks of things, at a much faster pace. I proceed to chat with Tyler and then he lays on me the biggest mystery of the day. Not only is Tyler blind and can read braille at an amazing clip, but he's also teaches sign language.
Yes that's right, a blind person that teaches sign language. This naturally left me puzzled for some time, as I couldn't really wrap my head around how a blind person might be able to SEE someone else signing. At about this time I'm sure he could sense my astonishment and told me that he knows how to sign and read it from others, but can't necessarily see what the other person is doing. This then made sense to me, but to see a blind person sign, is like telling a deaf person a secret.
All in all it was great to meet Tyler and learn something on a plane, rather than sitting there and being bored. This flight was anything but boring, and I wish Tyler the best in teaching reading and signing.