Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Our Arrival: We Are Here

On the way to the hotel the call is made. We have a formal protocol for hotels. We call at least a half hour before arrival and check several things. Reservation: confirmed. Wheelchair Accessibility: confirmed. Internet Access: Confirmed. This way, if there is any problem, it can all be fixed by the time we get to the hotel. The phone is answered by a very pleasant woman. I'm keyed up and tense because of the conflict we had on landing. I am prepared for a fight but hoping one isn't necessary. We confirm everything. I thank her, relaxing back into my car seat. She then says, 'There is one thing that you might need to know about the room.'

Oh.

Good.

Heavens.

No.

'What?' I ask with my heart in my throat.

"It has one of the loveliest views in the whole hotel. You are going to love it.'

Oh.

Thank.

Heavens.

The view, therefore, is the first thing we check when we get to the room. Well, the first thing we check is the bathroom, old habits die hard. And the view is indeed beautiful. We are staying, actually, in Redwood City, where we got a great, cheap, hotel room. We look out over a small tidal pool - so active we can see the flow by watching the ripples on top of the water. Past the tidal pool is wilderness. We open the window wide and let in the cool sea air.

That night we leave the window open, the curtains wide. There is absolute darkness outside the room. Only the stars and the moon to look at. We could feel the breeze come into the room in gusts and lay there and watch the moon slowly rise and the stars brightly twinkle. It was like sleeping under a night sky, only in a hotel room in a comfortable bed with an accessible toilet only a few feet away. In other words, it was like sleeping under the heavens - done right!

As I lay in bed and watched the moon grow brighter in contrast to a darkening background. I thought of the day, the plane ride, the people, and of course the problem that ended the trip. Then, it struck me, the trip ended with the arrival in a hotel with a lovely view, not with the arrival at the gate to a man with a horrible point of view.

'All's well that ends well,' I told myself, and, for once, believed each one of those words.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

San Francisco is such a beautiful area. I miss the ocean but I wouldnt trade living in Canada for anything.

-KR

krzywench24 said...

Oh, I'm so glad your day ended well, despite the horrible start to your stay in our neck of the woods. I want to thank you for a wonderful training, though I admit, I did question whether I had missed my exit and ended at a comedy club. Needless to say, I had a blast as I'm sure all who attended did as well. I had been so disappointed that I missed you at Supported Life in Sacramento (last year?), so when I found out that you would be coming to the bay area (well, Mendo County, really), I was thrilled. Again, thank you, thank you. Do come back again!

Kristin said...

So very glad your day ended phenomenally. That hotel sounds amazing and the service they gave sounds like it matched.

Colleen said...

Dear Dave:

That hotel room sounds like bliss. That is my version of camping - in a hotel with a bathroom and room service right near by.

Enjoy!
Colleen

Princeton Posse said...

Yes, the moon has been very beautiful the last several nights, big and full. Illuminates the deer in my yard eating up the garden!!!

GirlWithTheCane said...

Sounds lovely. :)

I'm glad that your day ended well.

Anonymous said...

Ahhh sounds very relaxing and peaceful and am so very pleased to hear that all ended well. Enjoy!!!

Diane said...

Hello Dave,
I attended your training in Ukiah on Tuesday. I want to thank you for an amazing training. For embodying what it looks like, feels like, sounds like to have chosen to live a courageous, heartfelt and ultimately free life. I laughed, I cried, I was inspired.
I was also very excited to hear you speak about the work we all need to do in terms of unlearning prejudice against people with developmental disabilities. It seems like there is intense deep emotional work to do in this realm -- for people with developmental disabilities as far as working with the internalized oppression; and for non-disabled professionals working with them in terms of looking at our unacknowledged privileges.
I was also very touched by your story of what happened at the airport. I'm sorry no one stood up for you.
Thank you again,
Diane