When we are out and
about, strangers would not have a clue that it takes a small army to assist Patti
with her activities of daily living much less get her ready and to any outing.
Laughter and smiles have a way of trumping words like non-ambulatory or even
Multiple Sclerosis much less MS symptoms.
So what could be more wheelchair
accessible than rolling around downtown sidewalks in near perfect MS weather,
cloudy and low 70’s? Carlisle ’s
“First Friday” gives businesses a chance to interact. Such as a Belgian draft
horse on the side walk outside the Café Bruges (Belgian cusine). Yet as close
as Patti is to the huge horse her visual impairment prevented her from telling
or even guessing what it was.
We shared a complimentary
and yummy bowl of fried rice from Amy’s Thai Cuisine before checking out a 1930
Ford and wondered how one could convert this for wheelchair access, though I
suspect the 30’s was not known as an accessible era.
Discovering one of our
favorites Helena’s Chocolate Café and Creperie was opened we settled into a
sidewalk table for dinner, chocolate raspberry crepe for me and a peaches and crème
crepe for Patti. We shared lemonade while I alternated feeding Patti bites of
hers while taking bites of my own. Somehow the whole busy sidewalk scene
dwarfed the issue of feeding vs assisted eating. … The crepes were so out of
this world that we had to go back inside and publicly applaud the chef.
After dinner we pushed
and rolled around enjoying sidewalk serenades that well you just can’t imagine –
Prince’s “Kiss” performed on acoustic guitars while kids pedaled around a bank
parking lot on miniature tractors – a rock and roll flute version of Young Rascals
“Good Lovin” on a shady corner of Dickinson – and a young singer songwriter,
Nate Lenox, giving a break out performance from the Library steps.
The thing is you can
measure how little anyone’s body is capable of doing but not what they are
capable of appreciating or in turn being appreciated.
A community in motion, now
that’s a great idea!!!
Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer
videos: www.youtube.com/daddyleer
web site: caregivinglyyours.com
looks likea fun day filled with smiles and laughter. Patti you look great..The horse is beautiful..
ReplyDeleteHey Cathy! and admittedly with Patti's MS visual impairment she does guess a lot based on 'experience' and needless to say a huge Belgian draft horse standing on a sidewalk is just not normal :) though great marketing!
ReplyDeleteYes it looks like a day filled with fun! It is always good to educate the community about wheelchairs....I hope
ReplyDeleteKim, thanks and you make a good point - being out and about is not only fun for us but yes enlightening for others who choose to open their eyes and of course those who walk into Patti's wheelchair while their eyes are glued to their smart phones. :-)
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