the list

My new wheelchair has been ordered.

It's all done now but the waiting and the final fitting. The chair is going to take a little longer because I've chosen to personalize it by having it painted. But soon I'll be riding around on a new chair. We are both  excited because this one is faster for me to push and lighter for Joe to lift. We were both in on the choice and are both happy about it.

It took a long time until we got a wheelchair guy to assist us by doing things like answering calls and returning emails. That might not sound exciting to you but when it's about something as important as you mobility, it's terrific.

When I thanked him, after coming to an agreement about the chair, he looked a bit confused about why I was thanking him for simply providing me the service that he was supposed to provide me. I thought about that and I realized I was actually thanking him for understanding that he job was important and that people depended on him in deeply personal ways.

Sometimes I think that those who provide service don't realize the amount of emotion, a lot of which is fear, which is wrapped up in someones dependence on you just not being an asshole. It doesn't take much for you to be an anchor for someone during a difficult time.

Showing up.

And caring.

Listening.

And hearing.

Taking action.

DOING SOMETHING.

When he left with my order in his hands all that had been done. Funny, not a difficult checklist when you look at them as discrete items. But wow, it's tough to do them all together.