Two Minutes in Half an Hour

Electric wheelchairs are brilliant. Until…

Last Wednesday, I forgot the battery at home (I have been charging it at home to avoid potential liability if there is a short while charging it at school or someone “borrowing” the chair if I have to call in sick).

And my manual chair (which I can use nowadays only on level ground) was also at home.

While Tom was finally home (long story) and was able to find and bring me the battery and spare chair, I needed to set up the room for the day and be ready to open the door to my students.

So, I walked, pushing the electric chair in front of me for support. My arms and legs were ACHING.

A distance that used to take me two minutes or less took half an hour.

I was exhausted. But I did it.

And I proved something:

I am not fast enough, or strong enough, to get my students or myself to safety in an emergency.

This will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me. But it definitely confirms that I am not likely to recover enough this year – while teaching – to teach and work effectively in the future.

See the previous post…

With or without an official diagnosis, the writing is on the wall.