Write about your next home.

I changed the prompt today because I would rather tell you about the next home in which my husband and I will be living .

Once my husband is not able to physically take care of me, we have no choice but to move into an assisted living facility, so I can get the care required and he won’t have to cook or clean, or even do laundry again. Luckily, we will be able to afford a very nice one, not far from our current place. It has chef prepared meals and a hair salon. It’s 2 blocks away from the ocean with gorgeous grounds and an underground pool. Among the activities are a plethora of classes, a gym, movies and a library full of books.

We will very likely be the youngest couple there, but it’s close to the pub that my husband frequents and it would mean that I can be safe if he decides to spend some time visiting his friends for a few days.

So, you see, I don’t want to talk about a dream home because we won’t be able to afford the full-time staff required. After all, we’re not getting younger. Let’s be honest when you’re sixty plus and permanently paralyzed, the most you can hope for is a very nice assisted living facility with an ocean view.

You get some great, amazingly fantastic news. What’s the first thing you do?

I tell my husband. If, by chance, he’s not home, I simultaneously text both the hubby and my mom.

Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time?

While I’ve not lost interest, nor have I outgrown cherished activities, they were taken from me when I became paralyzed nearly 10 years ago. The activities I miss most are dancing and driving. Thankfully, I can still blog because writing is my therapy .

Let this post serve as a reminder to have your heart fully checked, including an echocardiogram . If I had done so, I wouldn’t be paralyzed today.

What’s your favorite candy?

I don’t eat much candy. Instead, I prefer cookies freshly baked or cake for my sweet tooth. I had to think about Halloween candy in order to come up with 3 candy bars that I like . It should be noted that I only eat them in the mini size and only in late October.

In third place is the Cadbury Caramilk bar. It’s the perfect combination of milk chocolate and caramel.

Spot number two belongs to Reeces peanut butter cups because they’re delicious.

Finally, the winner is the Wunderbar . The best concoction of chunky peanut butter,covered in thick caramel , with a milk chocolate coating. It’s smooth but has a bit of crunch, and it’s delectable.

How do significant life events or the passage of time influence your perspective on life?

My theory is that time is a circle. Each minute we live collects behind us and pushes us forward to our inevitable end. This might be why we experience deja vu. Or even why time seems to pass faster the older we get. Also, perhaps why we should be, not only, paying attention to history, but really learning the lessons it has to teach us, so we won’t be doomed to repeat the mistakes we made in the past. Politics is the pendulum of the circular clock that is time itself. Swinging both left and right, never pausing where we should be, in the middle.

Do you need a break? From what?

From uninspiring blog prompts like this one.

The most important invention in your lifetime is…

The portable electric wheelchair is the most important invention of my lifetime.

The world opened up for me because of this genius piece of machinery.  If it weren’t for my travel buggy, I would have to be pushed everywhere i go. I couldn’t roll to my hairdresser 2 blocks away without my husband to push me there and back. I couldn’t enjoy the independence of going to the dog park alone in the nice, spring weather. I couldn’t be alone for a minute in a shop. It would take me forever to get anywhere trying to roll myself using my right foot and right hand to wheelchair myself along inch by inch, trying desperately not to go in circles. Having paralysis on one side of your body is not a good thing, but my travel buggy makes it bearable, dare I say, somewhat fun. If you have to be a wheelchair user, now is the best time ever.

At just 60 lbs, it truly is portable, and it folds easily and quickly. See it in action below

https://youtu.be/0Zs-43POMOU?si=-dxmwpQH-wpr5E3V

Something on your “to-do list” that never gets done.

Because I only do what I can physically do, I don’t have a to-do list. With the possible acception of responding to blog prompts that don’t include me. I’m done politely ignoring a prompt that, not as politely, negates me and my disability. Not everyone works or can work. Some of us are wheelchair users and had to retire because of a medical event. Some of us may have brain damage. I just want consistent prompts that are inclusive of everyone. Is that too much to ask?