One Stroky’s Journey: About comments on yesterday’s post

Comments on my post here yesterday about the frustrations and positives of a recent shopping trip reinforced reasons I keep blogging. The women who left comments have all contributed to my continued recovery from last year’s stroke.

They and several other fellow bloggers have encouraged, shared their own experiences, made me cry happy tears and sometimes nostalgic or heartbroken tears. They have made me laugh inside and sometimes laugh out loud so hard and long that tears and gasping for breath resulted. Extremely effective medicine all!

Retired English Teacher’s observations about handicapped accessibility reminded me of thoughts I had facing some relatively minor challenges during a recent stay in a motel that was otherwise a pleasure.

I was really put out about a couple of inconveniences that did not diminish my safety, only my sanity. I stewed awhile, grumbling to myself that a simple, inexpensive alteration could have eliminated the source of my discontent.

After prolonged internal grumbling and a bit of out-loud complaining to Hubby the next day, the light bulb, the old-fashioned kind, not the energy saver with weird colored light, went off in my head. What would have been more convenient for me would most likely be inconvenient or even unsafe for a person who had survived a stroke in the brain’s left side. I also realized that what I need in order to operate safely more than a year into my recovery is far different in many respects than when I was in a wheelchair.

How can any business attempt to anticipate and equip exterior and interior spaces for every single permutation of various disabilities? Just as off-the-rack clothing, no matter how well made, does not fit every body type, travelling and shopping with disabilities often requires adjustments to specific circumstances.

That said, I am fortunate that I have Husband Walter and other friends and relatives who help me meet those challenging circumstances safely. I am also fortunate to live in the United States where there are minimum standards about access for individuals with mobility limitations.

One of the airline employees who assisted me on my solo travel in May (I posted about that trip here) said his brother who is handicapped and lives in England was advised he must appear in person to apply for a disability badge. He made it to the building. But there he learned that the office was not on the ground floor, and there was no elevator.

It’s ironic that a disability thwarted his efforts to secure the disability badge. A Google search showed that the possibility of applying online is now in place in England and Wales. Our conversation was interrupted before I found out if the brother ever obtained the badge.

Another light bulb just went off. My posts have been getting longer and more rambling. Short and clear is harder, but I must keep reminding myself that succinctness and clarity are essential goals for this long-winded blogger.