I’m Learning to Take the Easy(er) Road… It’s Hard
Do ladies like a guy in a roomy minivan?
Accepting help, or things that could be helpful, has always been hard for me. I had to prove that I would be able to figure out how to excel in a non-accessible space.
A prime example can be found by looking at my car. A Ford Bronco Sport. It was my first big purchase after saving for about a year and a half. It was new. Like, BRAND new, it was the car I wanted, and I got it. Was it the most practical choice? Absolutely not.
At the time, I didn’t want something that was practical. I wanted what I wanted, and for once I didn’t feel the need to tie this part of my life into CP. I earned this. I would figure it out and get stronger in the process.
I’m not going to get into the specifics, but the car is small, so I can’t easily fit my walker in the back, and when I do, I need a second mobility aid to get back to the front, and it’s small and rickety enough to though in over my lap into the passenger seat. If I don’t feel like going through the average 4-minute process just to get in and out of my car, I have my crutches. Faster, yes, but less stable.
But instead, I’m getting frustrated, walking less, going out less, falling more.
It wasn’t until recently that I have been trying to make my life easier by adapting my environment to me, instead of trying to adapt to everything in my environment. So, after 1quite a bit of, metaphorical pill swallowing and an I told you so from a minivan fanatic friend of mine, I decided to get a big, spacious, minivan with sliding side doors, It’ll be perfect for packing my walker or wheelchair in seconds. Flashy? no. But in a world where it seems like everything is hard, getting in my car should be easier.
The world isn’t going to conform to every my want and need. Not every restaurant or store is ADA-compliant. I should continue to work to be able to do things the ultra-hard way when I need to, but not everything needs to be that way.
Minivans might not be the sexiest thing, but common sense and confidence are. Everyone probably has something that would make their life easier but their pride is keeping them from taking the leap. I’ve accepted one of mine.
I still won’t wear a fanny pack, though.