I’ve got to say that the last three weeks have been interesting. For those that don’t know, I’ve been enjoying several adventures with medical issues, the most noticeable one involving my left knee. There’s some more information about it in this post. Getting around town with one crutch gives you just a glimpse into maneuvering our urban landscape with disabilities. It is one that leads to some food for thought.
You begin to notice things like how many cars pull all the way through the intersection before stopping at a red light. The amount of time it takes to cross the street comfortably while using the crosswalk. There is trying to navigate stairways, sidewalk displays in the middle of the sidewalk and becoming increasingly dependent on others for assistance to do even the simplest tasks. You notice where curb cuts are or are not; whether or not there is enough space to maneuver and on a day like today, where the shade is or is not along the streets. It makes you wonder what can be done to make some of these issues non-issues, and soon.
It also forces you to slow down and appreciate the ease with which most things normally come to most people. There are many that said that this is what you get for exercising. I’m sure that there are a few that think I deserve this because I’ve wronged them in some way. I will say that I now believe in the adage that if you do not take care of yourself and slow down, your body will slow the pace down for you, regardless of the things that you think should be dominating your life.
I never seem to be concerned about how my body is doing. I figure it will always be there for me to do the things that I want or need to do. While it is aggravating to still need a cane to walk around, it is nice to have been reminded by the rest of the world of the joys of catching up on rest. It also helps to every once in a while think about what I’d like to do as the priority. I’m fairly stubborn, so the idea of dealing with resting is not one that normally makes me very happy. I do know that it is necessary and that my body will just rebel again if I keep doing what I was doing.
Not really sure what kinds of comments will come of this post. Just enjoy the day and try to keep cool.
Cheers.
