April  Newsletter

"Live Like a Guide Dog: True Stories from a Blind Man and His Dogs about Being Brave, Overcoming Adversity, and Moving Forward in Faith" by Michael Hingson, and co-authored by Keri Wyatt Kent, speaks to the feelings of fear we all confront. Whether it is taking a leap of faith regarding a new job, or finding your way in unfamiliar surroundings, Michael deals and successfully navigates these feelings of uncertainty. His steps and words aim to aid the reader in managing our own struggles. Faith in God, and the invaluable teachings of his dog guides, enabled him to live a productive and fulfilling life.
“Live Like a Guide Dog” was published in August 2024. It is the third book written by him. This book, like his first, “Thunder Dog”, has made the New York Times Best Seller List.
The book chronicles his life, from growing up in Chicago, moving to and attending college in California, marrying his wife Karen, the life they built together with their loving animals, and the traveling he did around the country and the world to have work and encourage others to live their best life by not letting fear stop you, but instead to use it as a way to make you more aware of your surroundings.
As a child, echolocation was the way he avoided obstacles in his path. He did not use a white cane. Michael used the echoing sound bouncing off objects to get around. He had what he calls a “normal childhood”. He was never told he could not learn to ride a bicycle or play tag with other kids. It was when he was preparing to go to college that he learned to travel with his guide dog, Squire, the first of eight. Holland, Klondike, Lenni, Rosell, Meril, Africa, and Alamo were the names of the remaining seven. After talking about getting a degree in physics, the book goes on to talk about how he met his wife Karen, who was his true life partner of 40 years.
Karen was born with a physical condition and used a wheelchair to get around. She had her own travel agency and loved to make quilts. Karen drove and read for Michael, helped with paperwork, and served as a business partner when they started a joint consulting and speaking company. Michael is the main bread winner for their family. Though they had no children, they cared for all eight of the guide dogs, along with two retired guides, and a cat, Stich, they adopted. At the end of the book, with the passing of Karen, you feel the devotion they had to each other, and how they made things work, supported each other as equals, contributed to the relationship, and respected each other’s aspirations.
Throughout the book, Michael describes the joys and challenges they met by finding lucrative work and the obstacles of traveling and dealing with loss. The pinnacle of the book is when Michael got laid off from his first steady profitable job. He became very afraid, not sure how they would manage their finances and overwhelming debt. He got turned down for a sales job after the company, impressed by his abilities and experience, did a total 180 degree turnaround when learning he was blind, and decided not to hire him. Michael, not sure what to do, turned to prayer. The answer to his prayer came from the voice of his loving and supportive wife, who reminded him of what he had learned in the course he took in sales by Dale Carnegie: “Sell yourself and make your perceived liabilities your assets.” I believe it is this trying time that brought the author to reflection and introspection, that it not only helped him to obtain his next job, but provided him with the roots for this book.
By reflecting over his life and the accomplishments and anxieties of life that he managed, he came to realize that he had something to learn from each guide dog. Squire taught him to be aware of his surroundings. Holland taught him that with awareness of previous situations, you can prepare and plan, that with patience and understanding, one can apply what they have learned in the past to the present situation to be successful. Lenni was a very friendly and social pup. She taught him how to trust and make good friends who can become true allies. Rosell was the pooch who guided Michael to safety when the towers were destroyed on September 11th. Rosell taught him many things: how to trust, work as a team, and build respect; how important it is not to let fear overrun the team; that a strong faith in God can lower one’s fear; and to trust the skills you have been trained to do.
Meril showed him the importance of relaxation and its role in resetting your battery. Too much stress can cloud judgement and work performance. Africa educated him on confidence, when Hingson, with his tremendous faith in God, bravely took a risk starting up his own company. Africa, too, was full of confidence. It was this confidence in himself, the team, and his skills in sales and technology, that led the Kurzweil Company to seek him out for a top position instructing and selling their mobile KNF Reader. Alamo, his eighth and present dog as of the publishing of this book, came into Michael’s life just before the pandemic. He describes how this caused many to isolate themselves and be fearful. Alamo came along and directed him on how to heal from tragedy and loss. He once again saw how fear can be used to prepare and focus our energy on solving a situation. It saves us from throwing caution to the wind and instead makes us realize the precautions we can take to better handle a situation.
One quote from the book that sticks with me is when Michael writes: “Being brave is embracing change and learning from it. We can refrain from fear, and change as we progress. We can move forward, a guide dog command.” Throughout the book, the author acclaims putting his fears to rest by putting trust in God, and how he has and continues to provide. He shares many prayers and inspirational words of others that have helped him to develop a spiritual communication. In fact, he ends the book by posting the Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Hingson has come to know and instruct on some of the latest in cutting-edge equipment to help the blind and others live more independently. He is very knowledgeable regarding assistive technology. Back in 2019, he worked for Aira, which does remote video interpreting. He helped establish The Do More Foundation, a charity that helps families with financial needs stemming from a child’s medical condition. He has also worked for accessible, a company that makes web sites accessible for all people with disabilities. As part of his responsibilities, he hosts a weekly podcast called Unstoppable Mindset. I am sure one would learn a lot from his valuable insights and resources.
The autobiographical style of this book is very lengthy, and touches on many aspects of Michael’s life as only an autobiography can do. The theme is to help not only the disabled, but all who deal with the curveballs life may throw our way, and for this reason, I would recommend it to all. However, I hope he considers writing a love story about him and his wife Karen. I am sure many of us could learn from their true life examples on how to live together, and the communication it requires to make a successful couple.