Not so long after I retired, I began to have problems with walking...problems that seemed to stem from my back. I didn't do much about it--which will be the subject of another post. Suffice it to say that, along about 2011, my daughter suggested that I get a handicapped placard to make it easier for me to travel. I was really, really resistant. I still felt able and didn't particularly want to be classified as old and disabled. Yet, the facts were there, and my cardiologist had no qualms at all in approving not only a handicapped placard, but a PERMANENT handicapped placard. Still, I only used it sparingly. I wasn't flying any more because my family had moved back to the Midwest. I could drive to see them. But I just couldn't walk that well.
Then the family moved to Seattle. In order to see them again, I was going to have to fly. The only way I could do airports was to have handicapped support--which means wheelchairs. Again, it was personally embarrassing but necessary. Airports are big. I can't stand for long without leaning on something, and walking long distances can be a big problem. The only way for me to get from Point A to Point B in an airport is to request handicapped support. No one has ever questioned me on the need, nor do I have any doubt that I could provide whatever proof is required. Without it, I simply would not be able to fly. Period.
The only thing required to fly as a person in need of handicapped assistance is tip-money. The service is free. Tips are optional but appreciated. Once upon a time, a trip to Seattle from Indy was a two-legged trip, which meant that I needed to have cash to tip a wheelchair pusher in Indy, then at the connecting airport upon arrival, then again at the destination...and the same on the reverse trip. If I took a cab from Indy International to home at the end of the trip, that was another tip. Frankly, I never considered it a problem to travel as a disabled person. Yes, I paid a little bit more in tips than normal travelers, but I also got a couple of perks in the process. And then Alaska Airlines, just last May, offered a non-stop flight from Indy to Seattle, and back. What a relief! Seats are assigned (which they weren't on Southwest flights), and checked bags cost $25 apiece (which they weren't on Southwest flights), but flights are only ONE leg, and save hours and hours waiting for connections. I was glad to fork over a few funds just for the convenience!
Just last week, my daughter booked a flight for my grandchildren's paternal grandmother and me to fly to WA to see our granddaughter perform in her school's musical. It will encompass Mother's Day. Grandma Judy and Grandma Peggy are friends. We attend the same church. We have many of the same interests. We adore our grandchildren. In short, when our children said their "I do's", so did we...except we didn't divorce each other when our children did. When we determined that we were going to fly together and share a motel room for eight days, we found the meaning of "love".
I told Judy that I would require handicapped support at the airport. She resisted taking the same support, even though she has one artificial knee and another one that hurts. I believe she thought she would be taking away something that other people needed more--like taking up a handicapped parking spot when other people might need it more. (She's that kind of person!) I explained to her that she wasn't going to take anything away from people who were more handicapped by asking for help. The airlines provide this service. Since our seats are assigned, she will have absolutely no advantage over others except to be loaded on the plane earlier to be out of everyone else's way. Finally...FINALLY...she accepted the service. Yay, Judy!
Our flight doesn't occur until early May. Still, there are things to consider...and we will deal with those. In the meantime, I'm really excited about being with my family again, even if not staying with them overnight. It will be a semi-expensive trip for me but totally worth it. I hope my snoring doesn't keep Judy awake at night. I don't have a history of staying with her. We'll make it all work, somehow!!
No comments:
Post a Comment