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Home / Thoughts / Sean's Thoughts / Just a couple of things for now

Just a couple of things for now

Written by Sean on Sunday, February 5, 2006

Just a couple things I want to discuss at this point. Aches and pains of wheeling, and how seeing a friend only in her wheelchair changes one’s view of her reality.

First thing

For the last few months, I’ve not been wheeling quite as much as I used to. Not working a regular full time job has meant I’ve been at home and have been in and out of the chair. This hasn’t done my psyche much good. But I’ve recently started back at work again, which means I’m wheeling a whole lot more.

In fact, for the last wee while, I’ve been sitting in my chair for 9 or so hours solid, every day. And my feet have swollen by the end of the day. My hip joints are stiff. My lower back is feeling the pressure from the chair (just sore from pressure where seams from pants meet back rest). Little silly things that really are nothing compared to what it would be if I had an SCI. I realise that. Nonetheless, they are things that make me uncomfortable. Physically so. And the simple physical discomfort actually reminds me how *good* it is for my psyche to be wheeling much more now.

Interesting to think that little aches and pains can make me think about how good it is to wheel, considering that they are caused by the wheeling.

Hmmm.

Second thing

I met Sophie for the first time about 5 months ago. She was walking. In fact, she didn’t have a chair then. We met up, gave her a chance to wheel in my spare chair. met a couple more times. Then she got herself a wheelchair. Since then, I’ve only seen her as a wheeler.

It’s been three months now that I’ve only seen Sophie as a wheelchair user. I perceive her as a wheelchair user. I know, intelectually, that she walks still. She doesn’t have much of a choice for work/church/parental units/whatever. But her walking is not part of my reality for her. When I think of her, I think of a young, vibrant, attractive wheelchair user. She appears to me much more confident when she wheels than when I first met her (of course, those first few meetings could have been "tainted" by nervousness of first meetings).

But perhaps that for her to know that there is someone out there that knows her as she wants to be known, as a wheelchair user, perhaps that fact may help her feel better about herself. It is always good to have people perceive you the way you want to be perceived, to have people believe in you as you see yourself.