When Pigs Fly

Did you look up today to find chubby pink creatures with wings in the sky?

No, they're not cherubs. They're pigs.

Pigs flew today: I rode a wheelchair while shopping at the mall.

I didn't expect to ever sit in a wheelchair or motorized shopping cart while enduring this sentence on crutches. But we decided to do some family shopping today. At first, I insisted on using my crutches to get through the grocery store. A guy about our age humorously tried to conspire with my husband to capture me and make me sit in the shopping cart, if I wouldn't agree to the motorized one! I laughed my way through that one, but was relieved they let me make it back to the car on foot.

My husband took it one step further. He knew I was looking forward to this family outing at the mall, and he also knew what was good for me and what I would stubbornly deny. So he played a wicked little game and told me he refused to take us to the mall unless I agreed to let the kids push me while riding in a wheelchair!

Oh, he knew that would get me.

There was no way I would miss out on our shopping trip. And of course I wanted to make the kids happy (especially the girls) by letting them push their mom in a wheelchair. And he was right that too much walking/hopping would not be beneficial for me. So what else could I do but acquiesce?

Reluctantly, I handed over my crutches and sat in the chair. I felt every eye on me (though that's self-absorbed hyperbole ... I'm sure there were some eyes that actually gazed elsewhere). It was the ultimate submission as I gave myself completely to the mercy and control of my children.

The first daughter to give it a whirl was getting the feel for steering. Within the first minute, I cringed as I headed straight toward the legs of two women, obliviously chatting with each other, intersecting my path. Instinctively, my right foot reached out to push the air brakes to make myself stop. Yet I kept heading for those legs! At the last possible second, my daughter saw the ladies and stopped, just as they also saw us and stopped with a smile. Collision avoided!

All in all, our shopping trip went very well. It wasn't so bad to ride in a wheelchair. We were at the mall for 2-1/2 hours, and I'm sure my arms couldn't have held out had they been supporting my body on crutches for that long. I learned to give myself to my children in a way I hadn't before.

And I gained a valuable preview of their maneuverability skills: As the kids took turns pushing me, I realized that the second daughter to have a turn was so very cautious and attentive. I felt very comfortable in her hands.

Then my son had a turn. Yes, he's the oldest, but boy was I nervous with him at the helm. He lagged behind when he didn't need to, needed a sister to help him navigate turns, ran me into the checkout counter, fidgeted with and climbed on my wheelchair, etc. I know he was trying to be careful and trustworthy, but he's just so darn fidgety and distractible! (Perhaps I was a wee bit evil when I told him that being the oldest in age doesn't necessarily mean he'll be the first to get his driver's license...)

We're back home now, safe and sound, enjoying a roaring fire on this chilly October day. I survived -- both emotionally and physically -- my ride in a wheelchair. I felt that I would lose my dignity by agreeing to ride, not walk. But what was gained was the pride of my children as they took care of their mom. And the freedom that comes with letting others lead. Sometimes, you have to lose something to win more.

I'm glad I let those little piggies try out their wings!