The kindnesses of strangers

I hate that I broke my ankle in the most foolish and preventable accident in the history of foolish preventable accidents.

However, as I struggle alone to recuperate, the kindnesses of complete strangers has never been more evident. As I labor along trying to carry a bag or push myself up a ramp with the worlds most unwieldy wheelchair- there is always someone ready to leap to assist me; hold my bag, push me up the ramp, pull my wheelchair from the trunk, put my wheelchair back into the trunk.

There are even people who offer to "spot" me when going up stairs on crutches is unavoidable. Sometimes they wrap their arms around my waist while holding my crutches in their other hand, and allow me to lean on them as I hop precariously upwards. Still other times they stand behind me in case I should fall, or they offer an arm to cling to. They rearrange seats to accommodate me, they hold doors and push me down hallways.

Even my grouchy neighbors rushed forward to pick me up off the floor one night after I fell, when they could have easily pretended not to see me in the dark. The harder and more apparent my struggle, the more people veer in my direction. Today, a woman driving by at school actually stopped her car and got out to help me. When my crutches defected and began sliding on smooth surfaces, a woman walked with me every step, gripping my arm to prevent a fall. And it was slow going. A random man went into the pharmacy and purchased new crutches tips for me. Still others pump my gas.

It is amazing what people will do for the disabilities they can SEE. The disabilities they can understand. I wonder how different the face of the world would look if people suffering from a mental illness or disability received even a crumb of the considerations I have received as a result of my temporary disability. Would there be one less suicide somewhere in the world? One less unhappy heart because someone offered a smile or held a door or made another person feel seen and wanted, just because they knew that person was having a rough time?

It just makes me wonder.