In An Ideal World ...
So, here's the thing. On Monday, someone asked me if, in my ideal world, I would be walking.
I was stunned. I wasn't prepared. But it certainly got me thinking.
In an ideal world, would I walk?
What would make my world ideal? Is walking essential to that?
2 comments:
My two cents:
I've been asked that (I do walk, actually, just not a huge amount. In my apartment and friends' homes I leave the chair; otherwise, it's pretty much always within easy reach, if I'm not actually on it.) before. And when I started to use crutches occasionally, people I knew asked if I would be getting rid of the chair (which wouldn't have been an option, but the implicit question was still: in an ideal world, would you walk?).
The answer I've come up with after thinking about it is that, if I could walk long distances - without it affecting my stamina or my pain, without being slowed down, - it still wouldn't work. I'm so used to using a chair, I would be somewhat lost without it. I use it to carry bags; I always have a (relatively) comfortable seat available; I have some cushioning between myself and any crowds I may be in (this cushioning is not always a positive, but often it is). The list continues, but the point is: not using the chair anymore would mean having to alter the way I move through and even look at the world.
Not that it wouldn't come in handy now and then to have longer-range walking capabilities; I'm just not sure the tradeoff would be worth it for me. (It goes without saying that the "for me" there is quite important - this is my experience, and doesn't necessarily apply to anyone else).
It is an interesting question. Of course, it supposes that walking is the superior form of movement. I can't remember whose blog it was on, but someone posted about going to the mall in their WC and all the toddlers recognizing that the WC is the superior form of movement. :)
Now that most of my movement is accompanied by pain, the prospects of continuing to walk unassisted and in pain are less than appealing. In my ideal world, I'd be able to move, in whatever way, without pain--be that walking, rolling, or crawling.
Post a Comment