Finding Freedom

     

 I can never resist telling a story. Eons ago I was excited to shop for my newlywed husband's birthday. I should explain a couple of key differences between us. Gene was a Virginian, whose young life had been rich with cultural and intellectual pursuits. He was a great chess and bridge player. I was a Coloradan, who loved to ski, climb and prospect for minerals in Saguache, but could never have sat through a bridge game.  So what to do?

Never one to shy away from risk, I headed for Holubar Mountaineering, a favorite store in Boulder. I bought a ton of rope and other climbing equipment, right down to a hard hat and proper boots. I proudly made a birthday heap in the doorway of our den. On top I placed the piece de resistance, a certificate to the Colorado Mountain Club Climbing School. 

My beloved's reaction wasn't quite what I'd expected. He was convinced my goal was premature widowhood! "Climbing is so freeing," I protested! Off he went to climbing school, eventually becoming an avid climber.

Freedom is everything isn't it? The price of freedom is risk; it is embracing change. Disability comes to some of us young,  to others late in life. If it comes in our dotage, we simply soldier on, often alone. We keep as much of our dignity as we can, and we cope. Any young person will tell you, to cope is not the same thing as to adapt. 

In recent years, with arthritic knees, I developed a routine for many daily activities. The drill for getting out of my tub was a twenty-step process. In retrospect it was neither comfortable, nor safe, but I'd coped for years. 

Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error,change -- this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress. 

-Bruce Barton

 
My routines were entrenched, when I met Leonard Lujan. Leonard had been instrumental in modifying my neighbor's bathroom. It was beautifully constructed, but I felt no need to have a similar modification, let alone a free modification. A good friend suggested it would be okay to ask about the bathroom modification program. The rest is history. I love my reconfigured bath; it is like a private spa. Home modification can free people from burdensome, often dangerous, routines. In my next post, we'll tackle universal design, and how major modifications can be brought within financial reach.

We wish you healing! More than this, we wish you freedom! We are here to help!