Freedom

After my husband broke his shoulder, we were pretty much home bound for about two months.  Frequent visits to the orthopedic surgeon were about the extent of our excitement.  Feeling a little better, he suggested he would like to take a trip to the store.  It was November and the hustle and bustle of the holiday shopping did not seem like a jolly time to get out in those crowds.

After the first of the year turned out to be a good time for an outing.  A grocery store was close by, and a good place to see how he would fare.  He managed to use the affected hand to push the cart, and get into the store.  Not being sure he could manipulate the controls on the motorized cart, it was worth a try.  After positioning himself in the cart, we reviewed the forward and backward levers for his use.  He was no more in the cart, we turned our heads, he was off, and disappeared around a corner.  Fortunately, I had a caregiver with me that was able to keep up with his pace.

The affected hand that could hardly manipulate a utensil, or a toothbrush, was now able to push the levers to freedom.  After his fall, he was not able to drive the car.  Now he was in control.  He was in control of the steering, the brakes, and where he was going to go.  Fortunately, he kept his speed where no one was harmed, and no displays were toppled over.

As the caregiver frantically watched my husband disappear corner after corner,  I was able to do my grocery shopping.  When I finished, I had difficulty locating either one of them.  When I finally approached my husband I told him I was through shopping, and asked if he was ready to go home.  The answer was an emphatic No.  Twice I had to return the frozen vegetables to the freezer lest they begin to thaw even before we checked out.

Never underestimate the power of the simple things in life.  A motorized cart, in a local store, gave an 84 year old man freedom after suffering a wicked fall. and a broken shoulder.