NEW WHEELS 2020

I  said goodbye to an old friend. A friend who had been with me for 20 years. A friend who'd seen me through deaths, hospitalizations, entering a nursing home, and moving to a group home.  Except for having my friend's parts replaced my friend had never given me.a bit of trouble.

My friend was dirty. Scratch that. My friend was filthy. The dirt and scrapes my friend had endured symbolized how hard they'd worked for me. The many miles we'd traveled together.

People would ask, "How old is your chair anyway?" And then declare, "You need a new w chair." 

"It still runs. It still gets me from place to place. It has never failed me," I'd reply. My friend and I  would roll away giving the offending person no chance to reply.

I have a new friend now. It took over two years for us to meet. My new friend is a shiny pink bubblegum color. They have a horn and the joystick lights up like Christmas lights.

My new friend came equipped with a better back, seat, and cushion to help my posture. My new friend has two speeds.  The turtle graphic on the joystick means slow. The bunny graphic means get out of the way.

You may think it is silly of me to refer to my new powerchair as my new friend. My powerchair is my legs. It gets me where i need to go. Without it, life would be a lot harder. So, yeah, it's my best friend.

 A (not so fun) fact: The batteries for powerchairs are now made in China. It takes four months for them to get to the United States. I will take very good care of my chair's batteries. Count on it.

I hope my new friend is with me for the next 20 years. 

Okay, New Wheels 2020. Let's roll.