Thursday, June 26, 2008

Groceries on Wheels

Last night we went to the grocery store. Since I am wearing the boot, I am not supposed to drive...not that I won't but it was just the first day. So I got one of those wheelchair baskets and my husband pushed me around the store. I pointed the way I wanted to go and that worked out well, I was my own little GPS system. We finished pretty quickly and were out of there in less than a half hour.
About 99% of the people in the store were so nice to me it was pitiful. I am used to people pushing past me and reaching in front of me like I am invisible half the time and yesterday there was one woman who seemed to be blind to me and my cart and just kind of pushed me out of her way. I gave her the evil eye but it didn't matter she never even looked at me!
Most people were really KIND...too kind. You could see the pity in their eyes. People smiled at me and said hello. It was really weird. Women and even men. One poor guy looked like he was homeless with a flannel shirt and a scraggly yellowish beard and yet he looked me straight in the eye...his eyes filled with pity and said hello to me!
I don't know how to handle this. I mean it has happened before as I have been pushed around in a wheelchair in the past due to my other foot injuries. Once my best friend was pushing me through Dillard's at the mall and the salesclerk actually sprinted across the store to help us. I didn't even want anything!! Did you ever try to find a salesperson in Dillard's? If you are on your own two feet, good luck to you! My best friend and I had a good laugh over it I'll tell you.
Once my husband was pushing me through Sears and we were in the Woman's Dept.--not Misses--Women's...I weighed 200 lbs at the time. Anyway, the sales woman wanted to help us but she couldn't believe we were in the right department--" a little thing like you"--I guess because I was short in the chair but was she blind?? I mean 200 lbs is 200 lbs!
Anyway, it must be a different world if you are stuck in a wheelchair all the time. Are people nicer to you? I think they might be. Are things easier to get done? ABSOLUTELY NOT!! I will admit there are lots of parking places now. And easier wheelchair access...but still, it is not for the faint hearted.
Pretty soon I will be able to walk on my own and I will be back to being invisible woman and I can't wait!!

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