The Sunshine State?

After an abundance of rain on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday we finally saw some sun today here in Florida. Hopefully, that will continue tomorrow, at least for most of the day. We made it to the beach, however, we didn’t swim. We just looked out at the water. It was a magnificent sight.

Looking at such a large expanse of water is always relaxing. To hear the waves hitting the shore is so serene. The water was much calmer today. There were a multitude of sun- worshippers lined up and down the beach that we visited. I think I almost prefer just to look out at the water than to actually get in and swim. This is due to lack of access for those with disabilities, and my dislike of getting sand in places where it doesn’t belong.

I wear leg braces when I walk. Likewise, I use a pair of forearm crutches. By the time I get down to the beach I am usually worn out, as there are usually either a steep set of stairs I have to climb down, or there is a steep embankment I must navigate in order to make my way to the water.

Walking in sand with crutches isn’t easy. The tips often sink down into the sand. Then once I make it to the shore I have to take my leg braces off, which makes me feel self conscious, as my legs are scarred and misshapen. I feel like the eyes of everyone are usually upon me. Just looking out at the water is easier, as I don’t have to expose myself as much to others.

We will see if I am brave enough tomorrow to venture down to the water and show my ugly, scar-riddled legs to the world. If not, I will be happy just to see the water from a distance. It will still bring me peace.

June 23, 2021 2

It’s Just a Crutch…

I have walked with crutches since about the age of 4. Not to brag, but I am pretty good at walking with them. In fact, you could say I am great at it. Except, for those times I swing one leg out a little wide and kick a crutch out from under me. One thing I have learned about these two aluminum sidekicks that I have is that they are so versatile. The old proverb, “necessity is the mother of invention” had to have been coined by someone who walked with crutches.

My crutches have become an extension of my physical body. They can be used to pick things up that have fallen to the ground, much like a set of chopsticks. I can also use them to reach out for things that are out of reach. Likewise, they are good for pushing doors open. I can even use them to start the car from the passenger seat. This is especially true now that Amanda and I have a vehicle with a push-button ignition. Just push the brake pedal down with one crutch and push the ignition switch with the other and we are ready to roll.

If you are familiar at all with Marvel Comics, especially those starring Spider-Man, you might have heard of a character by the name of Doctor Octopus. He is one Spider-Man’s most prominent enemies. Doctor Octopus, or Doc Ock, is a “mad scientist” who created a set of mechanical tentacles that he can attach to a harness strapped around his waist. These tentacles are quite strong and allow Dock Ock to move very meticulously. Despite his evil deeds, I have always related to Doc Ock. I feel my crutches are much likes his tentacles. They are my way to move throughout the world. Moreover, as noted above they are useful in so many different ways. Have I mentioned that I can use these things to launch bottle rockets on Independence Day?

My crutches have also been a form of protection at times. I never had much of a problem with other kids picking on me when I was in school. However, whenever anyone got a little out of line, all that it took was a quick whack to the shins with a crutch for them to leave me alone. I am sure my brothers could tell you how this feels.

It is difficult to envision life without my trusty sticks. They are part of me. They have helped me adapt to life in a world that was not created for people like me. Likewise, they make things more interesting. If you don’t believe this just follow me up an escalator sometime and you will see what I mean.

December 20, 2019 0

Patience – Part 2

Eventually the rest of the group caught up to where I was on the river and we continued on our way. At times the river’s current began to pick up, which made it a little more difficult to avoid obstacles that were in the water. However, I did fairly well dodging these logs, rocks, and small rapids. As time went on I was beginning to feel more confident in my abilities to make my way down the river.

After floating a few more miles, the group decided to take a break along a sandbar. Despite the fact that this was a July day, it was quite cool and there had been sprinkles of rain on and off throughout our journey down the river. It perhaps was not the best day to be out on the water, but we continued on after a brief rest.

As we got further down the river the current became a little more swift. Likewise, there were a few more rapids to navigate. By this time I was beginning to feel like I wanted this trip to end. Little did I know, it was actually just beginning.

As noted in part one of this story, I am quite inexperienced kayaking on rivers. So, as the current began to flow a little quicker, I began to feel uneasy. I just wanted to be out of the kayak and back on dry land where I could warm up a little. However, things were going to get a lot colder in just a little while.

More and more obstacles began to come into view the farther we got down the river. Lots of trees had fallen into the river, which meant we had to navigate around them. There were also more and more rocks to swerve around as well. At times there were only very narrow spaces to float through as we went along downstream. It was in one of these tighter spaces that the front of my kayak snagged a log that had become partially submerged. This was also a spot where the water was moving quite rapidly.

As my kayak smacked into the log, I was flipped upside down. Upon realizing what was happening I tried to grab ahold of my crutches, which I foolishly had brought with me in the kayak. Despite my best efforts they both shot away from me very quickly as did my glasses. So there I was submerged upside down in the river trapped inside my kayak. Fortunately, I was able to squirm my way out of the craft. I then swam up to the surface, where luckily I found a nearby sandbar.

I climbed out of the water in a daze not being able to see anything at all, as my glasses had quickly disappeared to the bottom of the river. The rest of the group came to see if I was all right. After assuring them that I was, they began to trudge around the river bottom looking for my crutches and my glasses. However, after searching for several minutes neither my crutches nor my glasses were found.

So, without being able to see anything, I hopped into a canoe with Amanda, while her cousin Doug took over piloting the kayak I had been floating in throughout the day. Despite having very little idea of what was going on around me, I still felt it necessary to be a “backseat driver.” Fortunately, Amanda did not whack me across the face with one of her paddles. Although, I am quite certain she felt like doing that at some point.

As we got to the spot where we were to climb out of our canoes and kayaks there was yet another obstacle for me to face. Without my crutches or my glasses, I would need to crawl several feet back to the car. So, there I was sopping wet, cold, and nearly blind. As I was drenched from head to toe, I decided to climb in the back Alice’s SUV and lay across some blankets that had been put down for me.

I can say without a doubt that the trip back to my in-laws house was one of the longest car rides I have ever experienced. On the way calls were made to various medical supply stores to see if they sold the type of crutches that I use. However, by this time, it was fairly late in the day, so no shops were open. This is when I remembered that I had a spare pair of crutches in the trunk of my car. I also had stashed a pair of old glasses in the glove compartment as well. So, once we got back to my in-laws house, I took a nice warm bath, cleaned the sand from all my cracks and crevices. Then I spent the rest of the weekend walking around on an old pair of crutches and staring through lenses that were a few prescriptions too old.

From now on I will always have a spare pair of glasses and some old crutches with me just in case I need them. I have also decided that I will stick to calm lakes and streams from now on if I want to go kayaking. However, I don’t think I have much of a desire to do that, at least for several more years. Finally, I will always be grateful for the patience of Amanda.

Oh, and one last thing before I go. If you are ever on the Meramec River in Missouri and you come across a pair of crutches, let me know, as I will forever wonder what became of those sticks of mine.

March 20, 2019 0

Patience – Part 1

“Patience is not passive, on the contrary, it is concentrated strength.” – Bruce Lee

My wife Amanda is one of the most patient people that I know. I am very thankful that God has placed her in my life. This is because I often test my own limits, and she is there to pick up the pieces. It is a great thing that we live right across the street from our local hospital, as we visit the ER at least once every six months. The reasons for our trips have varied over the years. One of the last times we were there was for a surgical incision that had split open and had become infected. This was probably due to me trying to resume normal activity too soon.

Perhaps one of the best illustrations of Amanda’s patience was during a canoe trip that we took a few summers ago with her sister Alice, and some of their cousins. This was the second canoe trip Amanda and I had been on together. The first one ended with me tipping over the canoe in which we were floating. Fortunately, it was pretty hot that day and we both dried off rather quickly. However, I think due to this experience, Amanda was a little apprehensive to have me float along in a canoe with her on our trip with Alice and the cousins. Therefore, I was exiled to my own kayak, which was fine with me, as I enjoy kayaking very much. The only problem is that before this second canoe trip I had never taken a kayak out onto a river. I had only ever floated in rather calm lakes.

Despite my inexperience kayaking on anything but a serene lake, we all set off down the Meramec River, which winds its way through various parts of Missouri. About five minutes into the trip I floated my way over to some rather large rocks that were near the bank of the river. I then extended my right hand out in order to grab ahold of one of the rocks, as I had gotten ahead of the rest of the group. Fortunately, just before I touched one of the rocks, I noticed that a snake was perched about 6 inches from my hand. I believe this was a pretty harmless snake, as it slithered its way into the river and out of my sight. However, this was perhaps a sign of things to come.

March 18, 2019 1

London Calling – Part 1 of 7

You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty the ocean does not become dirty. – Mahatma Gandhi

A view of the River Thames from one of our first nights in London

The older I get the more appreciation I have for others that are able to show compassion. I believe there is still a lot of good in humanity. Despite what you might read in the newspapers or see on the television news, there are still many honorable people that are willing to help others in need. Perhaps, the best demonstration of this for me was on a recent trip that my wife Amanda and I took to England and Ireland.

Amanda and I departed for England on September 1 from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. As we got to the airport we checked in with the airline and then went straight to security. The TSA agents were polite and professional. However, getting through security at an airport has always been a particular “treat” for me. This time was no different.

I was escorted to a chair and asked to remove my belt and my shoes. Then once the security agents realized I was also wearing leg braces, I was asked to remove them as well. Next, my crutches were confiscated so they could be rubbed down and x-rayed to see if they were carrying any illegal substances. I guess my idea of becoming an international drug smuggler will never come to fruition, as my crutches are not the perfect hiding place as I once imagined.

So, there I sat with my pants half way off, no shoes, and no crutches. It really was a helpless feeling. After sitting there a while I began to wonder if they had forgotten that I was there waiting. Would I just be left there to spend the rest of my days in the airport? Fortunately, this did not happen and everything was eventually returned to me. Then the arduous task of putting everything back on began before I could leave the security checkpoint.

After passing through security we realized that our gate was at least a 10 mile walk, or so it seemed. I had already been violated by the TSA and now I was required to walk what felt like a marathon. However, the goal was worth it so I pressed on and we finally made it to our departure gate. Then, after a relatively uneventful 45 minutes we were told that it was time to board. Thankfully, since I have crutches, Amanda I were given priority boarding, which basically means only Amanda and the flight crew got to see me walk clumsily through the gauntlet of tightly packed rows of airplane seats.

Once we reached our seats, the flight attendants were very accommodating and helped us get our carry-ons in the overhead bins. This is the part of any flight that makes me a little anxious, as my crutches are usually taken away from me and stowed away in an overhead bin that is packed to the gills with baggage. What happens if I need to get up and use the bathroom during the flight? Digging through an overpacked bin to get a pair of crutches out is not an easy task. However, I figured I’d deal with it if and when the time came. Luckily, that time did not come until we touched down at Heathrow at about 11 p.m. London time.

When we disembarked there was an airport attendant waiting for me with a cart. I asked her to take me to the nearest restroom, which was just a short ride from the gate. After 8 hours I was finally able to find relief!

We then made our way to customs, which consisted of two grouchy agents asking us what we were in England for and where we’d be staying. Upon the conclusion of our brief interrogation our escort asked us where we needed to go. She then called a cab for us, which was a black Mercedes Benz. We knew that our hotel for our first night in London was just a few miles from the airport, however, our cab driver took us through an industrial area, which by night, looked like a perfect place for a murder to be committed. Where were we going and why did it seem like we were being driven to the ghetto?

February 5, 2019 0