Boot Scootin’ Boogie!
On March 24th, just 6 days after starting a new position, I fell off a ladder and broke my right ankle. At 50 years old I had my first ambulance ride and my first broken bone! To say this put a damper on my onboarding would be an understatement, as I was unable to drive, needed to keep my ankle up as much as possible, and the time it took me to get ready in the morning was probably triple my normal routine. NOT FUN! But, I recently had a really great experience that I wanted to share that would not have happened if I hadn’t been in my boot and on my scooter!
While I am currently able to walk in my boot without assistance, going anywhere over iffy terrain or for long distances means I’ve been taking my scooter with me. We made our semi-regular trip to Home Sense nearby and walked/rolled around the store for probably 20 minutes or so. Any store with smooth flooring is a dream, and while my knee certainly isn’t thrilled with the pressure it received, the fun of zipping around store aisles helps me forget about that for a bit.
The moment I want to share about happened at the register however, long after I was finsihed rolling up and down the aisles looking at very cute but also very unnecessary home decor. When I got up to pay, the cashier asked how I was and after noticing my scooter said, “How were you able to get around the store on your scooter? Was there anything in the aisles that got in your way? Were the aisles wide enough for you to navigate comfortably? WHAT HEAVENLY DELIGHT CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE WAS THIS?! Now, my scooter is a temporary thing, but even just a few weeks on it has me noticing all kinds of things I didn’t really pay attention to before. How heavy are doors? VERY, much of the time. Where is there a ramp at the plaza that is safe to use away from traffic? What on earth are those yellow bumpy things at the base of every ramp area that yes, slow me down but also yes, make me stumble? Is there room in the bathroom stall for me, my boot, and my scooter or do I have to hop in and out, hoping that I don’t slip or topple?
Being asked those simple questions made me feel very seen in my current circumstance, and when she said she wanted to be sure that EVERYONE had a great experience shopping there, I believed her. It only takes seconds, literally, to go from walking around and climbing ladders to being “grounded,” unable to drive, feeling shaky on stairs, and sitting on a bench to shower. Seconds. And while my situation is temporary, for millions of people it’s not, and that means they face these challenges day in and day out. Ablism is something I’ve been hearing more and more about lately and I hate that it has taken my own accident to increase my curiosity, but I know that it will also help me become a better advocate for those whose mobility is permanently impacted. So, a special thanks to the team at Home Sense for caring about my experience and ever more so, for opening my eyes to something I should have been seeing all along.
