Divinely Crafty

I wrote this poem today as I waited for my daughter to get out of school.  Anyone who uses a wheelchair (or other mobility device such as a scooter) to get around will understand it.  If you don’t use a wheelchair, remember that in the chair sits a human being.

View From The Chair

You walk by me
As if I am not there.
My legs may not be strong
But my mind is.

These wheels do not shield
Me from the world.
They do not make me blind.
I see you as you pass me by.

My body reminds you
Of your own mortality.
Yours reminds me
Of my own.

You find temporary escape from truth
As you pretend I don’t exist.
Yet when you close your eyes
Mine are open wide.

Tags: disability, disablism, invisibility, poetry, wheelchair

I am going on a cross Atlantic flight in February and I know all too well that the effects of such a trek are hard for the toughest of bodies. A chronic illness makes travel a beast of different proportion. I barely make it through the check-in line before my legs,feet,and back are screaming at me. Carry on bags with laptop and camera might as well be concrete blocks anchored to my shoulders with twine. (Do not ever suggest I don’t bring things. Its not going to happen. ) I will be alone which adds to my need for comfort and efficiency. I am thinking about finally getting a walking stick to help me get through long airport concourses. But my fear is that it will be another thing to carry. There is always the wheelchair option and the slow moving beeping people carts. I just don’t think I am ready for that mentally. Physically – yes. But in my mind I can’t go there. Perhaps I will change my mind when the inevitable reality of the multiple discomforts of travel hits, but until then the plan is to hoof it. I am thankful for the ability to choose, or I suppose more accurately – the illusion of choice. Somehow it feels like if I can, I should. Should argh. Will. I will. I will do exactly what I am able to. breathe. repeat.

What are some of your best tips for travel chronic pain and illness? I will be on the road for 6 weeks, going between two primary locations with long haul flights on either end. What are some of the best ways to prevent stirring things up more than is needed. (Do I invest in a foldable cane? Seriously. Do I?) and how do you recover from the stress and pain that can’t help result?

Tags: chronic illness, disability, fibromyalgia, travel