Deeper and More Abiding Respect for People with Disabilities

Well, I can tell my posts are gonna be pretty boring til I am on my own and trying to survive/not tear my wound next week. ‘Cause not much happened today that was any different than the preceding eight days. For my “outing of the day” we did manage to make it to Target and to Martin’s (grocery store), and sure enough, they had wheelie carts.

The Target cart was terrible – perhaps it wasn’t fully charged, but my mom could walk faster than I could drive. The turning radius was terrible, and I kept knocking things over (including a clothes rack. Not pretty.) Also, the aisles at Target (at least this one) are not big enough for both a wheelie cart and a regular shopping cart to pass one another. Not to mention that 3/4 of the things you might like to see are absolutely out of your reach. They’re pretty much assuming that if you come to the store and want to use a wheelie, you have someone with you who can also assist you. This might be a correct assumption, and I’m sure our dear friends at Target have done research into this, but it was a new realization for me. Like I would never have clothes from Target again, because I can’t get through the aisles without knocking over the racks and running over clothes. And there was a lot of good stuff on sale, too.

I had a thirst for Arbor Mist

From Target we went on to Martin’s (massively large grocery store. This place is easily 10x the size of the teensy grocery store both my brother and I worked in back in high school, and which sadly went out of business when I left for college. Total coincidence.)(and as this was Before the Internet was Available to the Public there is nothing relevant to which I might link. Every “Mick-or-Mack” Google takes me to somebody’s obituary.) Anyway. Martin’s was 1000x better for a number of reasons. Wide aisles. Nice people. Surprisingly, way more things at eye level or within relative reach. And the horsepower and training radius of this wheelie? Wow. The best of the three so far.

So very sad to be in the candy aisle...I am committed to "No Candy til No Crutches." It just gives me sad face (and my leg was hurting)

As we left Martin’s, my mom and I realized that now we MUST go to Walmart (though I generally try to avoid the place…sorry to all my b-school friends in Bentonville) to test out their ride sometime over the next few days. Then I think we may be clear out of places to try. Though I hear Whole Foods has them, so once I’m back in Whole Foods territory, I am going for a ride.

Seriously, though. My grandma had Multiple Sclerosis for over 50 years and was in a wheelchair-bound for most of those (and my entire 30-year memory of her). She was fortunate because she had my dad to help modify things around the house for her, and do the shopping for her, and aides who came daily to help her get dressed, and as she got older, Meals-on-Wheels to bring her a hot lunch every day. But I can only vaguely imagine how much more intensely complicated life becomes when you are in one of these things all of the time, and how utterly dependent you are on others to help get you through even the simplest of things you used to have independence around. Have I said lately how lucky I am that this is only temporary?

300 dips, no pushups, and we forgot to do Pilates.

PS – I’m off the drugs (‘cept Tylenol). Not quite as funny. Sorry.

PPS – Still no books. Thumbs up: The Adjustment Bureau. Thumbs-oh-so-predictable: Friends with Benefits.