The Wild & Weird Adventures of Scooter Girl: Installment 6 (CAR & FASHION TALK)

I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to be in a car.

Although I was pretty jazzed the first time I was able to drive solo with a driver’s license and not a learner’s permit. And yeah, maybe during a high school make-out sesh. Veering off into TMI here. Back to the point of this story.

I finally drove this week!

Although I’m still perfecting the whole boot on/boot off thing when I climb into the front seat, I’m pretty close to being fully mobile.

I perfected my stair-climbing skills during my Thanksgiving visits.

The scooter and airport wheelchairs are gone. And my only tires are those of my little green Mini again!

How have the accident and recovery changed me? What can YOU learn from it?

I’ve definitely noticed that I’m more mindful and fearful. Perhaps they are both good qualities.

1. Because I’ve been dependent on others for transportation, mobility for the sake of activity is not part of my life. I think more about where I need to go and why I need to go there. I probably walk (or limp) more, staying local for dining and shopping. I’ve learned to appreciate more home-based activities like cooking, knitting, listening to music, and reading. It’s a different kind of shut-in behavior from the pandemic shut-down for some reason. Now I know I could go out at times, but choose not to. I’m way more selective about where I go and who I go with.
2. I still think and write super-fast, but move way more slowly. When I drove, I paid more attention to the road, not wanting to have to slam the brake. I stroll rather than rush when I walk. I leave more time to get to my destination and show up on time, if not early.
3. Dressing for comfort and not for style puts me at ease. I’ve been doing this most of the time anyway since I moved to Arizona, but probably more now. The old adage, “If the shoe fits, wear it” has never been more relevant to me. After all, none of this ankle drama would have gone down if I wasn’t sporting high heels on Halloween night.

I begin physical therapy on December 17th and may continue this series just through the end of the month. My goal is to dance (or at least shuffle cautiously, but with abandon) on New Year’s Eve.

That will be exactly 61 days from the ill-fated “twist of fate and twisted ankle.” Not exactly how I would have chosen to end 2021, but I’ve put my best foot forward throughout and am emerging wiser, sensitive to the needs of the disabled (more on that in an upcoming post), and more resilient.

And, I’m now a more cautious (and better dressed) driver!