No Excuses to Move Forward

Some time ago, I was planning a nice vacation.  With everyday life being what it is, time away from my home and job was surely needed.  Unfortunately, no one was able to go with me.

In the past, I had traveled with my son and my late mother. However, now it was very different. My mother passed away some years ago, and my son is grown, doing his own thing. I’m a single woman looking forward to retirement in the coming years and navigating life with new eyes.

Doing a day trip in my home state crossed my mind several times. Being born and raised here, I can see so much of the state. The thought of playing tourist in New York City was a great idea. That is, until I remembered the number of stairs to climb to and from the subways.

The possibilities are endless, but when you’re alone and have mobility issues, that is very different. Determined to enjoy my much-earned vacation, this young lady set out to find the perfect outing. I’d missed many things I wanted to go do, but because I didn’t have anyone to go with, I missed out. Not this time.

At first, my fingers typed on the computer fun things to do in July. Everything was fine and great, and I was getting excited. There were a few things this fifty-something year old dared not do, like Zip lining or riding a crazy roller coaster.

Two weeks after my search began, I secured a vacation spot. Only two states away from my home, the train would take me there. Perfect, oh, so I thought.

In the past, planning an itinerary was something done with others. We decided who wanted to do what and took it from there. Now, making all the decisions didn’t seem like much to do to me.

The caveat now was arranging things for the ADA person. That would be me, having to use a walking cane from time to time. It seems everything that was booked was not ADA accessible. Either it had a ton of stairs or long periods of walking. Both are bad for me.

You see, the thing is, with neuropathy, my legs seem to have a mind of their own. They want to rest after fifteen minutes, and climbing stairs is just like kryptonite. Back to the drawing board, or rather, the computer screen is where I sat.

I’m going to be very honest and transparent with you. This is not easy, to say the least. My mind wants to get up and go, but my legs are not willing participants at times.

However, I’m still cancer-free. So, it takes me countless hours to plan things, then so be it. If it takes cancellations, alternative plans, and so on, then so be it.

My late mother always said, “It’s somebody worse than you.” Growing up, I never really understood that. Until my situation forced me to take a closer look at life.

Using a cane when necessary doesn’t make me less of a person. Nor does it define who I am. What it does is give me a better perspective on life. Stairs are scary to me, but the notion of not being able to walk at all is even worse.

Take time and look around at your surroundings. Do you see a wheelchair, a hospital bed, or a walking cane in your house? If you don’t, congratulations, you have the activities of your limbs.

It’s the little things that mean the most that you should be grateful for. As for me, I’m grateful I was able to locate the perfect vacation for me. It’s something that will allow me to have fun and continue to live my life.

Psalm 118:24: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”