Thoughts on wheels

After reality had pretty much smacked me in the face, I had to start making things happen in order to make life work for me. I can't really say I'm someone who cares about quantity, I'm all about quality. I'm sure working in the field that I do, has given me a viewpoint that not many people get to see. I play the therapist role at work, but I also understand what it's like to live in a body that doesn't work. This gives me a rather unique perspective, which I am thankful for. It allows me to turn on my therapist brain, look at my situation and find ways to increase my independence and come up with multiple back-up plans to make it work for me. It also has given me resources that I could not otherwise access without a lot of research and work. Those resources are my friends. We work together, and we play together.This means they see the girl who can kick some serious ass at work, and the girl who spends a lot of time in bed and not being able to participate in life. In doing so, they have been able to turn on their therapist brains and give me input that otherwise would not have been possible with any of my doctors.

I'm now in the process of getting some new wheels. It's not the kind that we all wish for, it's a wheel chair. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole thing yet. I'm looking forward to being able to participate in life more, and have something to make life easier with injuries and bad pain days. But really, who looks forward to getting a wheel-chair? I don't think many of us as children or even adults had visions of ourselves in a wheel-chair. Even last year, it wasn't a thought that even crossed my mind. I was at the climbing gym, paddling and being insanely active. I'm going to have to learn how to live with more stares, ignorance and places that aren't accessible. It will require more planning, patience and a positive attitude. What makes me more anxious than anything, are the inevitable times when I'll run into someone I haven't seen for a while. Having to explain EDS and what it does to me gets tiring. Especially when I get told things like "You were fine before, why is this happening now?" No, I wasn't fine before. 14 years ago I was starting my little journey into the world of EDS with many, many bumps along the road. I find myself having a lot less patience for people who think they're doing me a favour by giving me their pity, claims to understand what EDS is like because they sometimes have a sore knee, or unwanted advise like getting some x-rays done. You know, because I never thought of that. It would fix all my problems!! Haha I've had so many x-rays and scans that I'm probably a bit radioactive by now. That's why my toes always glow when I'm somewhere dark. To be honest, I'm just not looking forward to the wheels at all, at least not yet. Yes, it could signify a new beginning,but for now I'm seeing a lot of things ending. Why do transitions have to suck ? I think it's time I invent some kind of extreme wheelchair something or other.

Those are my jumbled thoughts for now, maybe during the night I'll come up with a brilliant plan that involves a hover-chair. Now that would be cool! Writing these posts when I'm a little more coherent would probably make some sense too.

For now, this awesome video will have to suffice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmSl49bTI1A&feature=related

"Obladi Obladah, life goes on...."
(The Beatles)

Bicycle,bicycle, I want to ride my bicycle....

What could be better than a warm sunny day on a bike?
Well a lot, but it's up there with everything that makes me happy.

Biking is still on my "can do" list. (Happy dance!)
I'm not partial to where I ride, to me it's freedom and it's wonderful.

I love the adrenaline rushes I get from riding in downtown rush-hour traffic, especially in the financial district. Something about trying to get to my destination with craziness surrounding me makes me feel full of life. I have to be quick on my toes and ready to react in a split-second. It's also fun to be the girl on the little bike making it through the intersection before anyone else in a car does.

Going fast makes me feel like I'm flying. I can feel the wind on my skin and my body moving faster by my own power that I wouldn't otherwise be able to do on my feet.

Riding alongside the water is refreshing and comforting. The air smells different (yes it has a smell and it's lovely), it is cool and sometimes crisp. The plant life surrounding the water is vibrant and lush. To me there is nothing more comforting than water. Anything from paddling to taking a shower makes me feel whole. I will go into the shower with a lot of thinking to do, and come out with solutions and the confidence to get started. Paddling... don't get me started. To me, the world is a better place when I'm on the water. Anyway, just imagine feeling like you're flying past the thing that makes you feel whole. Getting off the bike to sit by the water, or to get in is even better.

Paths and trails are also a favourite of mine. When there's a trail, you can relax, zone out a bit and enjoy what the surroundings have to offer. The thoughts of traffic can be put on the back-burner and you can just go. You're not forced to keep at a certain pace, and there are lots of opportunities to stop and go whenever you please.

Biking offers the freedom to choose what we want to do. Something that doesn't happen often with EDS. I can choose the direction I want to go, the intensity at what I want to ride, and I can stop and relax whenever I want. It allows me to be more mobile than I can sometimes be on my feet. It's also low-impact and one of the very few things that don't make everything sublux and dislocate.

When I went looking for a new bike there were a lot of things to take into consideration. I ended up with one of those small folding bikes. Yes, it looks like it should be on the Pee-Wee Herman show but it works well for me. The wheels are small, which means I can pick up speed with less energy, it's light, there's no cross-bar in the middle which means I won't sublux my hips when getting on and off and it's just a lot easier to get in my apartment. I've had to make some minor modifications to my bike as my needs have changed. Different seat, put on different handle bars and cut them down so my shoulders wouldn't dislocate, not having the seat as high as I should to avoid hyper-extending my knees. I also moved the gear shifter, and bell so I don't mess up my hands. If I could only find a way to make riding in the winter easier.

"If everything is under control, you're not going fast enough"

(Mario Andretti)