Skip to main content

Navigating the world while four-wheeling

Rain, rain, go away.
Don't come back another day.
My hair is frizzy.
Barometric pressure makes me dizzy.
If I go out, wet I'll be.
No umbrella hand free to protect me.


I'm no Longfellow! And I don't think I'd win a poetry slam, but you get the idea.
Rainy days, even when they're not Mondays, get me down. Because when you're navigating the world while four-wheeling, rain presents additional challenges.

Last week, for example, the wind was blowing hard enough to blow my wheelchair seat cushion off my car where I'd placed it while removing my chair.
It landed in a puddle, upside down, and rested there long enough that the absorbent material in the comfy cushion absorbed quite a bit of water. I may have let an expletive fly, because a store clerk who was standing up against the window under the protective eave, smoking a cigarette and looking at her phone, actually looked up. She didn't come to my aid, but she looked up. Thankfully, I had a towel handy and so I wiped the cushion off best I could. I then navigated in my chair through the rain across the parking lot to get to the cut away in the sidewalk leading up to the store - which was no where near the handicap parking. The store clerk had now gone back into the store, apparently oblivious to the rain-drenched woman in the wheelchair now struggling to open the door. Thankfully a man coming out of the store did notice the rain-drenched woman and helped her open the doors.

Once inside, I realized how absorbent my cushion was because now the back of my dress was wet as well. I went into the restroom and used the hand dryer to dry off as best I could. A knock at the door alerted me to the fact that I must have been in there quite awhile. I put the cushion (still damp) back on the chair and opened the door to see the same clerk who'd been outside. She had a bucket and cleaning supplies. Apparently, this soggy customer was hindering her from cleaning the bathroom. 

"I'm sorry," I said, smiling. "My dress and cushion got pretty wet from the rain and I was trying to dry them."

"Bummer." Was the response.

Yes it was. And yes it is.

I don't want special treatment because I'm a four-wheeler. I was reminded later that there a frivolous lawsuits filed all the time that make it expensive for businesses to be accessible. I just want people to be courteous - and that's what I've always wanted. It's just now that the world is more challenging to navigate I have noticed its lack more often. I also appreciate courtesy more than ever.

So, this morning I'm looking at my to-do list (and several items require venturing out) and out the window at another rainy day. And I'm trying to decide how best to turn that list into a 'to-done' list and the potential obstacles I'll encounter while four-wheeling. And I am remembering when I didn't think twice about just 'running a few errands' - because I could run into stores or walk while carrying an umbrella. And damn it, I miss those days. 

But I will make it happen today - I'll make it a challenge of sorts. And when the errands are run and I'm back home, I know that I will have encountered some really wonderful people that I wouldn't encounter if I didn't get out there. And I'll be grateful for the people and experience. 

I just looked out the window and the sun is peeking through some clouds - I've got to go!!!!


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

It's not a popularity contest, but ...

Fall of Giants

I've long been a fan of historical fiction and just this past Christmas I received from my son Michael Ken Follett's most recent book, Fall of Giants. It is the first book of a trilogy that covers the 20th century and the first installment covers the early 1900s up to just after World War I. It includes characters based in Russia in the time of their revolution. While I studied the Russian Revolution in college, this book brought much back to me - including the chaos that reigned for years leading up to the revolution and continuing throughout. I write about this today because the Egyptian revolution reminds me of the Russian revolution. The Russian revolution started out quietly and largely as a protest against a harsh and autocratic government - the Tsar. The Russian people didn't have a say in their government and were very poor while the royalty in Russia lived large. The secret police in Russia often killed and imprisoned people for no apparent reason and there were ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Christmas cards

I sat down to reluctantly address Christmas cards. While our list has slowly dwindled through the years it's still a sizeable number, especially when it's viewed as a task approached reluctantly . Know what I mean? Some Christmas 'tasks' are a lot less taskier - like decorating or shopping or eating or opening presents. I mean, there's a whole different level of enthusiasm associated with 'tasks' that aren't viewed as tasks - I can't ever remember a time when I sat down to reluctantly open a present or eat a Christmas cookie! Anyway, I approached the Christmas card addressing with a less-than-positive, more bah-humbugish attitude. I poured a cup of coffee, grabbed the markers (I had to have a green, a red and a black one), the list and of course the envelopes (which John had already stuffed with the card). I turned on some Christmas music, but not too loud or it would distract me (and it really doesn't take much to distract me. Squirrel!),...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

I put my pride aside and got my ass off the grass and into the wheelchair. {I spent a couple minutes deciding whether to put an exclamation mark after that declaration or to put the period after that statement. I think the period better suits my mood about getting said ass into the wheelchair!} On July 4, Saugatuck has a wonderfully unique parade that includes quirky participants like the artsy-fartsy campers at OxBow art colony and the LGBT members of a local foundation along with the more traditional participants like Girl Scouts, fire trucks, and local politicians. It had been a couple years since I had been to the parade, this year, though, my Mom and sister were in town and I wanted to take them. So we loaded up in the van, including Kerri's wheelchair and my own. Once we parked, John asked if I wanted to use my chair and I initially balked but then remembered that it can be a long, hot parade and it might be better to have a place to sit. So, I acquiesced and took the cha...
2 comments
Read more