Skip to main content

When a block is a mile and a hill is a mountain

 I love it when I'm able to surprise myself. It's kind of hard to do if you think about it - surprising yourself; it's not like you can jump out and say surprise or think something you didn't know you were thinking. You know what I mean?





Here's how the feat transpired. 

I was parked in Saugatuck at the corner of Butler and Hoffman, near the book store. I needed to get to choir rehearsal and then come back to the store, so my original thought was that I would drive the block and a half and then come back. But it was a busy Saturday and I knew that parking was at a premium, so I  debated with myself about whether I would drive or leave the car and maneuver to rehearsal. You might be thinking, what's the big deal it's only a block. Even in a wheelchair, you should be able to go a block. And I can.

But this is a block with a fairly steep hill and a fairly rutted sidewalk.

But if I drive t here may not be any parking spaces nearby and I'll end up having to park more than a block away.

I made the decision to go for it. Heck, I reasoned, I need a little extra exercise.

So started across the street and then turned the chair around and used my left foot (my left foot and leg are strong, it's the right the literally trips me up) to help propel me while I also used my arms to turn the wheels. At one point, I looked down towards my car and noticed that I'd popped open the trunk when I was debating about driving.  I thought, going back seemed like a lot of extra effort plus it's a safe small town I would close the trunk when I came back in an hour.

At about the same time as I made that decision, a woman called up asking if I needed help. I told her no, but could she close the trunk of my car. She paused a moment and asked "You sure?" It was a beautiful sunny day, I was sure.

I then stood, about halfway up that Hoffman Hill and decided to push the chair the rest the way.

Atop that hill, feeling joyful at making it to the top, I was greeted by four stairs in the sidewalk that I couldn't do. I wasn't going to let a stupid design flaw stop me now, so I opted to make my along Griffith street in the street until I made it to the First Congregational Church where we have out rehearsals. There I found the accessible entrance locked. I sat down, exasperated and nearly wept. Seriously, why does a 'simple' task have to be so complicated. Why are there so many roadblocks? I didn't want to get stuck in a pity party after how far I had come. Hell, it was like I climbed a damn mountain! So, instead I called one of my fellow choristers to come get me. She greeted me with a smile and a hug and her joyful presence.

We had a fun short rehearsal.

Greatly relieved and a little exhausted, I was grateful that the return trip was downhill.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

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

You don't know me . . .

I stopped blogging for awhile. I know some might think that I was being lazy, or overly-involved in some community or school venture or in the middle of some really good books or projects. While all of those are true, that's not the main reason. I stopped because it felt strange to be somewhere and have someone refer to something I wrote. It was like they knew a secret about me (though secrets are not usually published on the Web) that I hadn't shared with them. Though in reality I had shared because I wrote it on the blog.  Truth be told, I don't know who reads this - I have a smattering of followers but a lot more readers. Blogger lets me see how many page views for each posting and I can even tell the referral site. The most I have had for any post was 152 and I've had readers from as far away as New Zealand (thank you Gretchen) and Alaska. Most readers are referred through Facebook. I know that if I were more diligent, I could market the crap out of the blog ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The amazement of children

I am a kid magnet. Especially little ones in strollers, my fellow four-wheelers. They will look at me, then my 'stroller', then back at me. And I waste no time in striking up a discussion with these fellow captives of the four-wheel system that has us at the mercy of whomever may be pushing us around. For those that are verbal, I like to compare our 'strollers'. One such young man, at the March in D.C. pointed out that I had two really big wheels and two really small ones, but his transport's wheels were all the same size and then he counted (it was adorable watching him squirm around in the stroller to look at the wheels behind him!) eight wheels. "Pus," he lisped what I assume was 'plus', "I have a hood." He proudly grabbed the stroller canopy and pulled it forward and backward. Yep, he had a much superior ride and I told him so. Then he said, with not a hint of awkwardness, "You're big for a stroller." His mother was ab...
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