Sinking and dancing

No, it's not a typo for singing and dancing. It's sinking and dancing.

Yesterday I went into a park with my friend D, who decided to sit on a park bench. I followed her, then realized that my power chair was sinking. I was on pebbles.

Pebbles are a no-no for power chairs.

I hit the joystick to back up, but by then the wheels were just going deeper into the ground. I looked down and realized that my ship was sunk.

"Oops," I said.

A couple standing nearby asked if I needed help. I suggested we try a piece of cardboard.

D produced a white Chinese food container. "Cardboard," she said, opening it up. "But I don't think it's big enough." Then she added "Chow mein."

"That's okay," the guy said. "We'll just push the chair."

I showed him how to disengage the motors so the chair could be pushed and the couple and D were able to get the chair out of the pebbles. No tow truck needed.

I thanked him and D and I began walking home. "You need a bell on that thing," she said, pointing at the power chair.

"In case it sinks again?" I asked, picturing me sitting in mud, ringing a bell.

"No," she said. "So people will stop walking in front of you all day. You know they just don't expect to see wheelchairs."

"They're going to see wheelchairs," I said, thinking of the thousands of vets coming home and the aging baby boomers.

We approached the campus. They were having a Spring Fling, complete with a live band, inflatable rides and tables of refreshments.

I hit the joystick in time with the music. What fun- although very different than dancing in a manual chair.

But how cool - my first dance in my power chair - on a sunny day in April at Spring Fling.


[visual descriptions: Left photo on top: A ship sinking at sea; Bottom photo at right: A male and female college student pose together. The male student points at the camera; the female student holds a frisbee over her head. Underneath them are the words Spring Fling.]