I Get Around

Living in the desert is amazing most of the year but the summers are BRUTAL. This weekend my family had the opportunity to get away and spend some time in the mountains reconnecting and cooling off.

One of the best parts of this quick trip was going down to the lake to hang out and fish. It’s not because I love fishing so much or listening to my kids argue out in the wild, but because of my new all terrain chair. It makes life so much easier for ALL OF US - not just me.

Something most people don’t have to think about when heading into nature is how (in)accessible it might be. Camping might be cool but when you can’t move on uneven ground, or squat when needed behind a tree, it makes something typically relaxing and fun more of an anxiety filled weekend of relying on others and hoping you don’t pee your pants. Yes, everyone will pitch in and help, but it’s just not the same.

In the past I have missed opportunities to do certain things because of access issues. My incredible husband (he carried me up a mountain, have you heard? 😜) always goes out of his way to help me but let’s be honest, it’s amazing but not very convenient.

Before, he would “have to” piggy back me down to a place like this - walking through rocky or difficult terrain only to walk back and get ALL of our things and walk back to me again. If we were with our kids, of course they would help and it would be a little easier but it’s still a total pain in the ass - or neck and back for my husband.

As the person who gets to be carried and placed down while minions around her do literally everything - it’s WEIRD. I guess some people might be into that, but I’m more of a ‘doer’ and I HATE feeling useless even when no one else seems to mind. I was raised to be independent and enjoy doing so. I’ve had to learn to suck it up occasionally because sometimes I just don’t have a choice, but I still find it awkward and uncomfortable.

It was really cool to take the dogs for a walk down a gravely dirt road. Even cooler to seamlessly go from our parking spot a half mile down to the river. I wasn’t able to do it completely alone, but I felt like way less of a burden on everyone around me which is pretty awesome.

Next time you’re outside the concrete jungle, look around. Maybe take notice what it’s like and think of me and those like me. How would we manage? What could or would you do to make it easier?

Sometimes you just have to be thankful for the ‘little’ things because they usually mean so much more than you can even imagine. ❤️

#access #accessible #atv #allterrain #lake #sci #az