Slow motion

The first week on the job with the Mountaineers is complete and it has been an eye-opener. This may seem commonsensical but most everything takes longer to accomplish when you're sporting four casts and in a wheelchair. Not everything mind you; ironically, I motor along faster than most people walk so getting back and forth to bus stops happens in the blink of an eye.

Just about everything else requires strategy. From getting out of bed (and into the wheelchair) to getting out of the door, every step requires careful & methodical pre-planning. Sponging down (forget showering, and bathing is just a dream)? Brushing teeth and flossing? Shaving? Getting dressed? Preparing a lunch? We're talking two hours just to get to the breakfast table!

What you try to avoid above all else is dropping things. Picking things up after you drop them is a huge time sink. You use a long grabber device to pick things up and some things can be really slippery (like your cell phone) or very difficult to capture (like a credit card). The worst thing to drop of course is the grabber itself!  You're not totally SOL when this happens but retrieving it takes another big chunk of time, . . . You have to situate the wheelchair just so and then fully recline so you can barely reach down to retrieve the grabber. Oi!

At work you can no longer take for granted the simple things like preparing a cup of coffee or grabbing a snack out of the refrigerator. It's all about methodical process and careful planning to avoid catastrophes like dropping your coffee cup from a couple of feet off the ground or knocking over an open container of milk. Maneuvering around an office can be challenging as well. There are file cabinets and rolling chairs where you might not expect them so quite often you take detours to get to your planned destination.  It's all good, it just takes time.

Once home, just about every minute is spoken for in getting ready for the next day and preparing for bed.  All in all I have yet to arrive at work when I want to or get to bed on time.  I am getting better each day but man has this been a learning process.

The Mountaineers

They say never mix work with pleasure but I just couldn't resist.

Joining the Mountaineers staff as director of operations is a dream job for me. I love what the Mountaineers stands for and how it goes about moving forward towards achieving its mission and vision. In my mind the Mountaineers organization is one of a kind in the world, and I am consistently amazed by the volunteer ethos continually exhibited by the 500+ people who pay it forward year-in year-out without a second thought.

I have come to know their motivation. We share a love for exploring beautiful natural places and we gain great pleasure from enabling others to safely venture into these realms to establish their own connection. This is a rare and beautiful gift freely given to over ten thousand members which replicates endlessly throughout the outdoor community. There are countless instances where Mountaineers meet others in need and offer their assistance without regard to the impact on there own adventure.

Then there is everything the Mountaineers does to support conservation of our beautiful natural places as well as outreach to youth who might not otherwise have access to these special places.  I feel so fortunate to be part if an organization with these lofty goals!

Getting ready to return to work

Yesterday Marijane, Marie and I hopped aboard Metro and did a dry run of my commute from the Landmark to my new workplace.  We took the 40 bus from Leary Way to downtown Fremont and then transferred to the 75 which took us to our final destination. The trip took about an hour (about 30 minutes in a car).  Marijane and Marie visited the final destination last weekend to evaluate possible wheelchair roadblocks and we ended up finding a safe way from the bus stop to the front door of my new workplace.

I have become adept at maneuvering my motorized wheelchair into the wheelchair accessible space at the front of the Metro buses such that I am able to raise my feet and lower my back and head to keep my feet as close to the level of my heart as possible which is what the doctors want. However to the other folks on the bus it looks like I'm totally chilling out.

Thankfully the dress code at this new workplace is pretty casual and that's good because for the next 6 months it's going to be pullover shirts and shorts for this young man!

New digs!

I've been making so much convalescence progress that our insurance provider decided it was time for me to migrate from a skilled nursing center to an assisted living community.  It makes perfect sense to me as I no longer have need of 24 hour nurse care, people doling out medications, or meals delivered to my bed.

Ideally I would head for home at this point, but because I'll be in this motorized wheelchair for the next 6 to 8 months, and because our home is so very wheelchair unfriendly it makes sense for me to remain in an ADA approved facility for the duration. It could be as simple as an apartment built for wheelchair-bound folk, however, because I am unable to load bear on hands or feet (just elbows and knees at this point) family members are concerned that if I deck then there would be nobody around to pick me up. Hence we've looked at several assisted living communities and have settled on the Ballard Landmark on Leary Way.

Miraculously, we were able to move from Anderson House to Ballard Landmark in a single day with the help of sister Laura and brother-in-law Bill. They packed up everything in my room, moved it out to their rental car,  transported it from Shoreline to Ballard, and then moved everything back into the Landmark.  I'll remain in a temporary guest suite for several days while the Landmark crew prepares my apartment; they want to replace carpet and paint the walls.  Simultaneously I'll coordinate delivery of a few pieces of IKEA furniture and a rented powered hospital bed, and then I'll be all set. 

The Landmark Community are very curious about me and I'll be making a bunch of new friends in the course of the next several months. By the way, it is a great place for visiting. The public spaces are very comfortable and well-appointed and it would be fun to entertain guests here.

First bus to Ballard

So, you've had a climbing gym accident, you've successfully made it through numerous surgeries, you've been bedridden for the last six weeks, but now you have just got a fancy new wheelchair and have demonstrated abilities to get around including on and off of buses.

You're free! Where would you go? What would you do?

I headed for home, and home for me is Ballard. More specifically my first and most pressing desire was too get to my barber, have a haircut and a thorough hair washing, and then have her shave the six-week beard off my face!  Heaven!!

Backing up just a bit. Laura and Bill arrived at Anderson House and sat with me for breakfast before we headed for the 348 bus stop. We took the 348 to Northgate Transit Center and caught the 40 to Ballard.  No muss no fuss. Disembarking at the main bus stop in Ballard was a very special moment: rolling along Market Street in perfect sunshine, seeing all the familiar places, feeling the energy of the neighborhood, knowing I was finally home.

In addition to the barber mission we also had an appointment to visit and tour Ballard Landmark on Leary Way. The Landmark is a senior assisted living community but in special cases they allow slightly less than senior individuals (like me!) to become residents. The tour left us very enthusiastic about my joining the community. You've got to see this place: many amenities and very well-appointed community spaces.  The one bedroom apartment we visited on the 5th floor has southwesterly views of both the ship canal and the Olympic range.  Ironically the Landmark is directly across the ship canal from Vertical World Climbing Gym.

Later in the afternoon we toured up and down Ballard Avenue stopping in various places. Sangrias at Matadors. Oysters at Acme bar.  Whiskeys at Macleod's.  Marijane and Marie joined us for dinner at Bastille. After a leisurely and entertaining meal I took Metro back to Anderson House and made it in time to watch the last 10 minutes of the Seahawks game.

What a fantastic first day of freedom!

Epiphany - summit fever

Family members noticed I was getting increasingly grouchy and impatient on the first and second days of my liberation by wheelchair. The evening of the second day after motoring around the neighborhood we sat out on the back porch of the facility and regardless of what we talked about I sensed in myself immense unease and it impacted how I interacted with loved ones.  They were right---and that was frustrating too---I had obviously lost my sense of being in the present and joyful in the now.  I wrote the previous blog entry just before bedtime with unease frothing over within me.

Early the next morning I contemplated the last sentence of the previous evening's blog post where I used the analogy of having a severe case of summit fever. I thought more about this and all of the sudden it became obvious: metaphorically I had been climbing for the last 6 weeks and in gaining use of the motorized wheelchair I found myself within striking distance of the next major encampment on the route, . . . perhaps with grand territorial views. There was no doubt I was indeed experiencing a form of summit fever.

And then it all came into proper perspective again and I laughed at myself; the frustration, unease, and impatience were all banished.  I understand summit fever and know what to do when it strikes. I have to be careful not to move forward if the route has become too dangerous or the weather too bad or some other condition is present that would put the climbing party at risk. I have to step back for a moment and reconsider whether all the conditions are within tolerable limits of risk and whether the climbing party's skills are up to the task.

Deep relaxing sigh.  I was ready for this next day regardless of what it would bring. And thankfully it brought the next step of the progression in mastering motorized wheelchair skills. My operational therapist surprised me by suggesting we use the Metro to practice bus entry and exit skills; I wouldn't have to wait 3 or 4 days to attempt this next progression.

Yehaw!

We (two operational therapists, my sister Laura and brother-in-law Bill) motored to the bus stop outside of Anderson House and boarded the 348 headed for the Northgate Transit Center.  Navigating the ramp up into the bus was easy but making turns to get the wheelchair positioned inside the bus was challenging, . . . but doable.  It was grand sitting up front in the wheelchair accessible spot with excellent views of the street ahead.

Rather than going all the way to the transit center we disembarked  as we arrived at Northgate Mall  so that we could make a more realistic transition from one bus to another . Maneuvering out of the bus was much easier than getting situated within the bus. Before I knew it we were back at Anderson house and my occupational therapist had given me two thumbs up for a successful journey.

Starting the next day I would be free to go wherever I wanted to on Metro!

Four wheelin' in the hood

Wow!  This new wheelchair is fantastic!! I spent the first afternoon practicing throughout the facility and the staff seemed as enthusiastic as I was about my new mobility. It took no time at all to gain skill in motoring down hallways, making turns, getting through doors, and deft maneuvering in small spaces. It was fun motoring up to  people who, previously, I had needed to call to my bedside for assistance.    After being bedridden for six weeks no doubt there was a certain amount of motivation to acquire these new skills.

On day two I got into the chair at 7 a.m. and relinquished mobility at 9 p.m. I ate all three meals in the dining room rather than lying in bed. I spent much of the day on the back patio visiting with my elder sister Laura and brother-in-law Bill who flew in  from Tampa the previous evening.  My occupational therapist wanted to observe me venturing out into the nearby neighborhood and so we motored out of the parking lot, turned onto a sidewalk, crossed the street at a designated crosswalk, and continued to a grocery store on the next corner. We went inside and I demonstrated skill in grocery shopping for a few items.

I am really looking forward to using the Metro System to get from Anderson House to just about anywhere that is wheelchair accessible in Seattle.  Before I can tool around on my own, however, my occupational therapist needs to accompany me on a trial run and that may not be until next Monday.   Until then I'm limited to visiting places in the local neighborhood. Hey, there's a 7-Eleven not so far away. Haven't had a Slurpee and a while!

Man, exhibiting patience from now until Monday will be an excellent test of my new-found perspective on remaining present in the now.  The closest climbing analogy I can think of is having a severe case of summit fever.  So close.