Archery

Archery is something I enjoyed doing as a kid. My dad and I would go out in the yard and shoot at a large hay bale and I did some archery in girl scouts, so not a pro just a fun hobby I could share with my dad. Recently my Hubby and my girls have been taking some archery classes, I was unable to join them because my Rheumatoid Arthritis has been so active. My oldest daughter just turned 18 and for her birthday we went to the archery range. I decided to see if I could use her lighter bow and shoot from my wheelchair.

The range was empty except for us and one other guy, who happened to also be in a wheelchair. Turns out he has been doing archery since he was a young child, he has cerebral palsy and believe it or not Rheumatoid Arthritis. I had the best teacher I could have there and available to help me alone, like a private lesson. He was giving me great pointers and telling me to not get frustrated as it was like having to learn the sport all over again because everything is so different sitting in a chair. He happens to teach archery too and often has the higher skilled archers sit on a stool because it is more difficult to do.

I got some great pointers from him and was able to hit the target several times. We had a great time, we didn't stay long as we had a full day of birthday fun, which was good as I think I would have pushed myself too much because I was enjoying it. The next day I did have some extra pain and swelling, but after doing so much for her special day it was all worth it. I think I will be going more often as it will be a fun family sport and will help keep some of my joints moving and build muscles to help protect joints too.

There are always still things I can do, sometimes I just have to learn a new way to do it. To get my pain pills I have to fill out this form on all the things I can no longer do because of pain and how it affects my quality of life and enjoyment of life. Honestly I don't think about it that way, why would I want to focus on what I can no longer do. That form is depressing and I usually fill it out on auto pilot, but really why do we have to focus on the negative. I love my life...I have a wonderful family my life is filled with love and laughter, we do things together and have a lot of fun doing them. Even if we are just at home watching movies together because my RA is active and I can't do as much, we still have a great time. Pain or Rheumatoid Arthritis do not affect my enjoyment of life because I refuse to let it. I will always enjoy my life and find quality in it!

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Please push in your chairs!

My husband is in a physical therapy appointment. I tag along because we have a couple of errands to run on the way home. I am in my manual chair today because it's quicker and easier. I don't go back with him for his appointment because I always feel a bit in the way. There is a small cafe in this building, it's a large clinic with many specialists and even an outpatient surgery center. Anyways I decide to be brave and wheel myself to the cafe.

Wheeling myself is something I couldn't really do in my old chair, my new cool purple chair is much easier to wheel myself in. Easier, but still hard with sore swollen hands and shoulders. I navigate into the cafe thankful there is a handicapped button for the door, even more thankful that it actually works. You wouldn't believe how many don't work, give it a try next time you see one if you find it doesn't work do a handicapped person a favor and report it. I do notice there are no buttons to get outside of the building from the cafe, so I would have to go back through the building to get to an accessible door. I always wonder why there is still such a lack of access for the handicapped. 

The door is not my obstacle today, lazy people are. I come into the cafe and it's small and has numerous tables and chairs. The hard part for me is no one has pushed in their chairs so for me to navigate my way through I have to push in all of the chairs to get to a table. It's really maddening how lazy people can be. It's so simple to push in your chair, you parents made you do it all the time I am sure, but somehow as an adult no one is capable. 

As I'm sitting here eating my muffin and writing my blog I see 3 people get up and leave and not one of them pushed in their chair. I sit here wondering do I say something? Maybe they would appreciate hearing what a big obstacle a chair is for some, but I feel that they will not appreciate my advice but rather be offended. So please next time you are out to eat or anywhere you end up sitting in a chair at a table, please please push in your chair. 

I hope everyone is having a great day. Thanks for stopping by. 

Acceptance

We went to the movies last night and the theater we went to is not an easy one to navigate when you're hobbling, so we brought my wheelchair. The handicapped theater seating had no one in them so I was able to sit in the theater chair and park my wheelchair beside me. The theater chairs are leather and much more comfortable than my manual wheelchair. We were actually able to sit all together as a family in the handicapped row. It was really great.

There was a tall teenage boy sitting behind my wheelchair and he had his feet up on the bars. Everytime he would adjust his feet he would get closer and closer to my wheelchair. I felt like his feet were on my head and in my space, now remember I'm not sitting in my wheelchair. This feeling of having my personal space invaded while he was too close to my wheelchair tells me I have made a huge hurdle in my new life... I have accepted my wheelchair as part of me. It has always been a tough relationship for me with my wheelchair, I didn't want it, I don't like that I am at the point where I need one, even if it's not all the time. 

But this moment of this young man intruding on what I felt was my personal space was a huge turning point for me. ACEPTANCE. I accept that I need a wheelchair now and then. I accept that this is my personal wheelchair. I don't want your dirty shoes on the extention my body sometimes needs, just the way anyone would be bothered if his feet were actually hanging over the chair you were sitting in. 

I kept pushing and pulling my wheelchair this way and that way to keep him from putting his feet on it. Finally I got bold, this is very out of character for me, I turned around and politely said can you please watch out for my wheelchair when you're resting your feet? He apologized and took his feet down. 

If I had more time I would have told him this wheelchair is a part of me, it's what allows me to do these things with my family and when you put your feet on it I feel as though you are invading my personal space. That's right, I wanted to tell him how my wheelchair was a part of me. This is such a huge turning point for me. I accept my wheelchairs. They are a part of me, they help me do fun amazing things with my family again and please keep your feet off of me. 

Acceptance sure feels good. Thank you for stopping by and remember if you liked what you read make sure to follow my blog so you get notice of any new ones, and the best way to compliment me is to share my page with your friends. Hope you are all having a wonderful day. 

Invisibility Chair...aka my wheelchair

My wheelchair has an amazing super power it turns me invisible when I get in it....like Harry Potter and his invisibility cloak. I get in it anywhere in public and poof I'm invisible. This would be a really cool trick if at times it weren't downright dangerous. 

I was out doing Christmas errands with my daughters and I was using my manual wheelchair. My youngest daughter was pushing me in the parking lot, there were no handicapped spots, many were taken by non handicapped people or everyone is suddenly forgetting to place their handicapped placards. Unfortunately it is common to see this especially closer to the holidays, another good one I see is leaving the handicapped person in the car so you can get things done without the nusence of the handicapped person slowing you down, because I'm sure they love being used for prime parking. 

Anyways on the way out of the store a full sized older SUV (a Chevy Blazer 1980's style) starts rapidly backing out of their parking spot, my daughter is trying to pull me quickly out of the way I start waving my arms in a desperate manner, he continues backing up, I know my daughter is not able to move me out of the way quickly enough at the speed this vehicle is reversing I start screaming hello, at this point the man is well out of the parking spot and should be changing to drive anyways. He is finally alerted to our presence by my screaming, my daughter said the passenger was just looking at us the whole time, why this woman did not alert the driver to our presence I have no idea. Another costumer in the parking lot is shaking his head and makes a remark on how he didn't think the man was going to stop either. I understand my wheelchair is lower than his vehicle, but I have two other pedestrians with me and he never even looked over his shoulder. I believe he was planning on driving in reverse to the main road rather than go the rest of the way down the parking lot. 

I become invisible in my wheelchair even when people look me right in the eye, they will still step right out in front of me. People will walk around me, partially over me, straight into me. I feel like I am just a speed bump while they are on their life saving mission to get whatever they need. I even had a man ram my chair with his shopping cart, he gave a quick, quiet sorry as he quickly walked away. I am sitting there in shock and pain because he rammed me good. 

I was always taught manners and there is a different level of respect that you extend depending on the recipient. Elderly and handicapped were always given a higher level of respect and assistance, you should naturally hold the door for them, always smile and look them in the eye. Respect and manners seem to be rapidly disappearing and I'm sad to see them go. 

Who's with me in bringing back manners, common curtesy and respect. I for one am going to be talking with my children about it more and making sure that what we have always taught them is actually being used in everyday settings. 

Thanks for stopping by I really apreciate you taking the time to check out my blog. Remember the best comlimemt is to share my blog with friends, hit the follow button and feel free to share. 

Personal Bubble

I'm sure you have heard the term personal bubble. Some people call it their personal space or personal space bubble. Urban dictionary defines it as the area around a person, aprox. 1 - 2 feet (depending on culture), that you should not enter without their (vebal or non-verbal) permission to do so.  Everyone has one, some people have a wide spread bubble and others are smaller. 

There is a funny thing about personal bubbles that I have learned, the personal bubble seems to be around a persons face. Meaning that if you are not directly in front of their face their personal bubble seems to get smaller or almost non existent. You could try an experiment with a friend and stand face to face and see how close you are comfortable standing keep inching closer and closer. Then try the same experiment but start by standing back to back, I am sure that you will end up standing much closer before you feel uncomfortable. Which if you think about it makes a lot of sense. 

My problem is when I am using a wheelchair I am no longer at face level with most people. Which means they are perfectly comfortable standing squarely in my personal bubble. They will comfortably stand with their rear in my face, while I am twitching and sweating trying to keep myself from poking them to remind them that I am there, they are even comfortable with facing me and because they are looking over me they still feel comfortable, meanwhile I am looking into someone's private area, because its maybe 6 inches from my face. 

The worst area that people are perfectly comfortable popping the personal bubble is in elevators. I will still never understand why people must constantly test the max weight of these dangling boxes of metal. Is it really that hard to see that it's full and wait for the next? Why must we always seem to be trying to break the world record of how many bodies we can cram into an elevator? 

Anyways as I was saying, people are more comfortable within another persons bubble on an elevator. Which when I am using my wheelchair means these strangers would be perfectly happy to sit in my lap just to make this exact elevator, gotta beat that world record right. I am not comfortable enough to say something to these people. I am sure that they would be embarrassed if I actually pointed out what my view of them is and how close that part of them is to my face. I know I would be embarrassed if it were me. 

This is a rather funny blog, but really I would like to remind people of the personal space of others. I know that it happens to others, like children, and shorter people, so please be aware and courteous of everyone's personal space bubble. 

Hmm does the tallest person in the world have a really small personal bubble because no one is ever at their eye level? 

Thanks for stopping by again. Sorry it's been a while I have been in a nasty flare.