If she can do it, I can do it.

First, I want to talk about my progress. Because, sometimes, acquaintances bump into me in the street and meekly asked me if I am going to get better. Here's the answer. One year ago, this week I decided it was time to leave the long-term rehab facility that I was festering in because because I became a one person transfer between the bed and the wheelchair. That's right, last August it took two people to move me from one chair to another. Last week, I asked my physical therapist to show me how to use escalator. So don't ask me if I'm going to get better. Ask me how much better I got!

Yeah, lately in my weekly physical therapy sessions my therapist regularly asks me "what do you want to do?" Last week it occurred to me that I haven't been on escalator in 16 months. She said yeah we can do that and will get to go to Fairway. Fairway? Little did I know, that the Rusk Institute for Physical Therapy on 38th St. and 2nd Avenue is probably located further from any public escalator than any other address in Manhattan. So getting there was part of the fun.



Yeah, I made it all the way there, crossing gridlocked intersections and sidewalks that being dug up for the subway that I'll get to use when I'm an old man.  And I did it all while Jenna held my cane.

At Fairway the shopping floor is in the basement so the escalator goes down. Shit. That kinda scared me. I am much better it up and down. So we took the elevator down and without much hesitation I got on the up escalator. After three or four times on that trip I realized that I had to do the down. Jenna told me it's the same as going up. Grab the rail step into the middle of the step move forward all the same time. But it was scarier.  Then I saw a little ald lady do it.

In a flash I remember the day I taught both my kids to ride their bikes at the same time.  First I took out my bike and had them walk both their bikes to Prospect Park. That was an instant disaster. So we returned with just my son the shopping floor is in the basement so's bike and my daughter and I jogged along. After a short time of not so good attempts at riding his bike my daughter took a shot at it. She got on and went about 10 feet. My son saw this and said "Let me try again". He got on his bike and I chased him for about half a mile before he figured out that he could also stop too. Two things happened for him. He needed to see that it could be done and he needed to show to the world that he could do it too. When that frail old lady just stepped onto the escalator without hesitation I followed her. I saw that it could be done and I needed to do it.

When we got a backup to the lobby Jenna asked me if I wanted to do it again. No, it would just be a game going up and down the escalators. I got nothing to prove anymore.

Now, I gotta go to my gym and watch people get on and off of the elliptical machine.