uhm, yes, I can do that....

Updated January 2002

Right on time, 6 months later... Well, you may have heard by now, and if you're looking for me on stage, you would have seen by now...I'm finally a victim of the old body. I'm not a victim of the aging thing.....my white hair is growing in kind of wavy and pretty. I'm actually getting a kick out of looking more and more like arlo guthrie.... back on track here.... I was born with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. It's not really like MS, and it's not really like arthritis, but there are symptoms of both. It's not really life threatening, except in 3 versions of it. It's not really debilitating, except in 4 different versions of it.

So I'm doing the math here, and bingo, I got one of the gimpier versions. (I know, I know, not so P. C. , deal with it!) I'm 37 years old, and for the last 11 months, I have had to endure no less than 27 dislocations of my knees, shoulders, wrist, and in one lovely instance, a rib. I walk with a cane now, which is really great looking, but it's still not the best way to stroll. (Shake hands with a cane user..... ah the callouses will tell tales!) The funny thing is, I have to switch sides now and then because of the shoulder popping habit, so at times I give up and just use two canes.

It's a bit odd, at 37 years old, having folks well in their 70's holding doors open for me. It's very weird having little kids stare at my cane and wonder if I was in an accident. It's even more bizarre that I had no idea how rude some folks have been to people with disabilities until I had seen this up close and personal. Oh my dear lord, folks, what are you thinking?

I'm lucky in that I'm not as bad off as some folks. As a result I don't always take that blue parking spot. I hold doors open for other people. And I would not even think about cutting off someone in a grocery checkout line because they were too slow!

But, it seems like there are people that get angry at me if I don't park in the blue spots..("You got the stupid tag, use it!") Or, they get really ripped if I hold the door open for an older woman, ("Gee lady, granny can get her own door.") Or, on no less than four occassions I've been literally spun around by people who were pushing past me to get in front of me in the grocery lane. ("You won't mind, you're taking much longer.") No, I don't mind that I've got a bag of dog food, and you're pushing your three carts in front of me.

So here's the deal people. If you're curious about why someone is in a wheelchair, or using a cane, it's a lot less rude to simply start a conversation and ask than it is to mutter and stare. If someone with a handicap plate does not choose to park in a handicap spot, it may be because the physical therapist advised the person to walk an extra few yards for the day. And for pete's freakin' sake..... HUMAN being people! Not road obstacle during the shopping adventure. Just because you choose not to look at someone who is re-abled doesn't mean they don't exist. Ten seconds of respecting personal space won't kill you. Geesh.

Okay, my gripe's done. Just remember, disabled is a lot different from unabled. In most cases, we're just re-abled to use our minds more than our bodies. Ask Stephen Hawking.

Cathe