Doing It Blind: Life Skills

Trash Talk: A Blind Guy's Guide to Conquering the Dumpster

• David Gallegos • Season 1

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Ordinary chores can change how we see ourselves, and today’s story proves it. We walk with David on a simple mission—taking out the trash—and uncover the skills, systems, and mindset that make everyday independence possible when you’re blind. From the first knot on the bag to the echo of the dumpster lid, every step is a lesson in orientation, mobility, and steady confidence.

We start at home base, where small choices matter: protect your hands, tie it right, keep the cane by the door. On the stairs, David shows how he avoids snags and body hits by choosing an approach that fits his environment, not just a textbook technique. Outside, the driveway becomes a live map. He tracks the edge with his cane, reads slopes and textures, and listens for cars before crossing to the dumpster. A simple rain gutter turns into a landmark. A metal thud becomes confirmation. By the time the bag is tossed, the point is clear: repetition builds calm, and calm unlocks competence.

There’s an honest look at limits too—no driving—but an even stronger commitment to doing everything that can be done. David talks through learning curves, why training matters, and when to avoid shortcuts until a route is truly yours. He finishes where he started: replacing the trash bag and sealing the habit loop that reinforces identity. If you’re newly blind or supporting someone who is, you’ll hear practical navigation tips, mindset resets, and a grounded belief that small wins stack into real freedom.

Ready to rethink what “easy” really means? Hit play, share this with someone who needs a lift, and leave a quick review to help more people find the show. Your support helps us keep telling real stories of grit, skill, and everyday independence.

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SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to this bonus edition of the Doing It Blind podcast. Sometimes it's not about the big moments, it's about the everyday steps that remind us we're capable, independent, and unstoppable. Today, David's inviting you to walk with him and experience what doing it blind really looks like in real life. Let's jump in and see through his eyes.

SPEAKER_01:

Some people wonder how are you gonna find the little handles? It's not that hard, bro. Like you know they're on the top somewhere, so you just stretch across. Oh, there's one. Sometimes they're easier to find than others. Alright, same thing over here. We'll just kind of go across the top. I don't know if you can see what I'm doing here. Oh, there's the other one. And you take that sucker, make sure everything's inside. When you're blind, you don't want to touch gross stuff in the trash can. So you put a paper towel or two on the top of it just in case you're gonna smash stuff down. Again, it's really not that hard. If you know how to tie a knot, if you know how to just put stuff together. I mean, come on, dude. My wife always says, if a blind guy can do it, you can do it. Anyway, that's step one: grabbing the bag, taking it out of the tan, finding the door, not that hard again. Because I know where my door is at. This is my house, by the way. I keep my cane by the door. Some people don't, some people do. This is me. Oh yeah, and I live on the third floor, so then you gotta actually find the stairs without falling over. That's a rail, duh. Here we go. It's easy to get the cane caught and stuff. So, just in case anybody wanted to know how that works, again, no and trash man. To me, huh, it's actually kind of fun. Okay, it didn't used to be fun, right? But now, since I've learned after going blind, oh, in case you didn't know, yeah, there's that. I learned to accept everything as just a new challenge to be overtaken, overcome, and won, right? Like, whatever. Anyway, so I enjoy the process and doing all this stuff. I didn't really dig it, but now, I mean, everybody wants to feel useful, everybody wants to feel independent. I'm not any different from you. I mean, you know, minus a couple of things. Anyway, here we go. We'll see if this recording, let's see if it takes me less than three minutes to do this, guys. How about that? Another big aspect of throwing trash is making sure there's not a car somewhere in this long driveway. So you see this right here? That's the little kind of ramp that goes up into the oh, hey babes. I'm just throwing trash, shooting a quick video. Sweet, love you, see you in a minute, I'll be up there. I kind of trail that as I go across. There's some rocks. More rocks. I've walked this trail. This little I mean it's my neighborhood, right? This is my apartment complex. I do this all the freaking time. Yeah, one of these days I'll just take you on a walk. Go check the mail, do that that kind of stuff, right? Today we're throwing trash though, so like I said, not that big a deal. I'm like going through everything. Kane finds a drop off there. Of course, I know that because I've done this a thousand times or more. So I can also follow this slant. Let me know if you are new to being blind or gonna go blind. You're looking for tips, hit me up. I'd love to help you out with that. So this is one of those rain gutter things. Every time I hit that, I know I'm super close to the trash can. Hear that sound? Completely different. So I know it's metal. I know that this is actually be ready, guys. Sometimes this place is full. Oh, well, maybe they already threw the trash. Okay, all clear. So I know that. That's the sound of the dumpster. Here's the top. This is me. Bag inside. Like I said, throwing trash is not hard, guys. Even if you're blind, you might have to do some training, you might have to do, you know, a little bit of work. So you can use to figure stuff out. How do you do this? How do you do that? I'm sorry. I don't care what you're dealing with, what your life has happened, what's I mean, there's always a way. And just because I can throw trash doesn't mean I can do everything. They still don't let me drive. And that's okay. But everything I can do, I will do. I'll find a way, a new way, to do old stuff. Now, this is the cheat that I'm gonna use. If you're new to being blind, don't do this, cuz you know. Yeah. You're your bl your instructor, your OM instructor, person that trains you, yeah, they'll get mad. But because I know this route, I've done it a million times, know there's nothing in front of me, I know there's no trees, I can do that. Anyway, that was me, guys. Throwing trash. Now I'm just gonna go back upstairs. Have a great day. Finding the stairs blind. Eh, whatever. I usually trail this little wall. I can feel a slant right here. Some people can't because I'm gonna walk back up for a second. There's nobody behind me. I can feel this little slant right here as I walk up it. Now I tend to toss my cane to the left, go this way, and trail that. The reason is because my cane goes underneath this. I've jabbed my side and hit my stomach on this rail trying to get upstairs, and I don't like doing it, it hurts. So that's what I do. I trail that little side, I follow this rail, I hold on to the rail on my right hand side. I'm getting just a little bit weighted. Three flights of stairs. I mean, three floors, it's a bit much. Anyway, this is Dave walking up the stairs. It's hilarious sometimes when I get dropped off at the front door. Like my buddy, actually my pastor, Chance Greer. Shout out. What's up, Ro? He'll drop me off sometimes and he knows I'm good, but he'll kind of stand out there for a second and you know, just make sure I'm good. But it's funny because he's like, I'll get the funniest looks. I also live in the corner, so I can tell if that's a wall, this is my door. Anyway, sometimes he'll get the funniest looks, he'll tell me. People are like, oh that guy let the blind guy go upstairs by himself. Yeah, I do it all the time. Of course, no job is finished until at least the trash isn't finished. So you put a new bag in the trash can. I like to air it out so it's not all puffy when you put it in. Find the wall, find the can. Again, guys, it's not rocket science. I'm not shooting this video because I'm amazing. I'm shooting this video to show you that if you're in a transition, you're going through crap, you're trying to figure new stuff out, I'm just shooting this to let you know. You'll be okay. You've got to figure it out. Feel how you feel, sure. But at the end of the day, you'll figure it out and get it done.

SPEAKER_00:

If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend or someone who might need a reminder that they're stronger and more capable than they realize. Until next time, keep living with boldness, confidence, and a recalibrated mindset.