Diagonal Cane

I really enjoyed learning the diagonal cane technique. Tuesday's class was the first time I really traveled independently and while it was a little scary, it was thrilling too.
My biggest frustration came in the beginning when first learning how and where to hold the cane. For some reason my arm did not want to hold the cane out in front of me. When Micky explained that it was me trusting my arm and not the cane it made complete sense. I had gotten comfortable walking with my upper protective technique and I think I was trying to hold my cane while still using the upper technique. I couldn't figure out how to keep the cane off the ground, hold it like a pencil, while still holding it away from my body.
Once I felt more comfortable with my placement of the cane the rest of the class was fun. It was really neat to be able to walk the hallway, and then immediately after observe Katie and David. Watching the movement of their hips, and noticing how certain auditory cues either helped them or threw them off course.
When I was walking the first time all I could think about was the wall. I could almost see a wall right in front of me. As soon as I pictured this I heard Micky comment on my rigid stance and apparent anxiety level. Once I relaxed, I seemed to be at the end of the hallway in no time. After the first attempt, and bumping the wall, I began to realize I could trust my cane. I think it was this trust that allowed me to walk at a moderate pace and reach the end of the hall without hitting any walls. There were times along the way that I would start to picture the wall again. When this happened I would think about where my cane was and how I was holding it and that seemed to help me.

The echolocation thing was really weird. It was like what I described when we were in Rovetta, as I got closer to the wall it literally felt 'darker'. It was like someone was slowing turning down the lights, and then I just knew which way I needed to turn to go back into the more open or 'lighted' area. I wish I could describe or explain how it happened, but it was really just a feeling, an instinctual idea I decided to trust. I hope I can continue to use this '6th sense' to avoid running into the wall.