I am still going out in spite of the Safer at Home warnings (But I don’t think it’s safe to go to restaurants yet.) I usually go for a walk around the neighborhood, looking at gardens and trees. I live a few blocks from a Kroger, so I go there for my prescriptions and food. I can get people to do that for me, and sometimes, I do. But I want to see people, see who is wearing masks, who is complaining about masks. I’ve always loved people watching. And now is a very interesting time to do so.
I do take precautions.
When I go to Kroger, I use the sidewalk on the north side of their parking lot. It’s usually clear, though sometimes I have to move shopping carts out of the way. And some people have started using it as a dumping ground.
When I went this week-end, someone had backed their long-bed pick-up truck with it’s back wheels right up against the sidewalk curb. It had a trailer hitch that poked out even further on the sidewalk. There looked to be just enough room for me to get by, but one of my electric wheelchair wheels slipped off the side walk and into the strip of mulch and struggling plants. I couldn’t get it to move. I was stuck. I tried several maneuvers to get it going, but the wheel dug into the mulch and wouldn’t go forwards or backwards.
There was someone in the truck. So I knocked on the truck. Then I banged on it. Whoever was in it was either hard of hearing or had earbuds in and was listening to something that kept him from hearing me.
So I took a deep breath. Someone would come along and I could send them into the store to get some men to help me out. It felt like I sat there a long time — time passes so slowly when you’re anxious and in need of help. I do have people I can call to get me out of situations like this, but I thought I could find help there.
Finally, a young couple walked by in the parking lot. I yelled, “Excuse me,” and waved my arms around. They didn’t hear or see me. I took off my face gear and yelled again. They heard me. The man came running over. I asked him to get a store employee to help me, but he thought he could do it.
He was a thin young man, and it’s a heavy chair and I’m heavy, too. I was near a light pole, so if worse came to worst I could stand up and hold on to the pole while he moved the chair. But we just did some back and forth moving, and he lifted it some, and then I was free. He helped me ease by the truck.
I thanked him profusely, but he shrugged it off. His partner asked if I was okay. “We’re glad we could help.”
The man in the truck never moved or saw a thing. I should have given him the evil eye, but I was so happy to be rolling again that I didn’t think about it until I was in the store.
Then, to make matters better, they had toilet paper!
So no evil eyes for anyone. I was rescued, people treated me politely, no one laughed at me in my protection get up, and a gentle spring breeze accompanied me on my way home.
I took another way home, because I’m not risking that janky ass side walk again.
I hope you stay safe and find kindness and toilet paper in life.
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