RESOLUTION

Northern Minnesota winters can appear bleak and harsh but the stark reality of cold days and little sunlight also brings the opportunity for its residence to whine, complain and whimper about the intolerable weather or to rise above the difficulties such weather presents and grow thought resolution of mind and spirit.

I declare today that I choose the way of resolution. I do not intend to simplify my resolution to a list of several things I shall do this winter, for I know all to well of my past failures, so I am wisely choosing a pathway of intent that is filled with joy and thankfulness. Who would every pass up the opportunity of live a life of joy and thankfulness? It sounds so warm and bright, much different than the dark, cold season that I share my coexistence.

But in reality such resolution, is very difficult. I have been taught that one can greet all of life with an attitude of joy and thankfulness, but it requires something of us that we find nearly impossible to do. It is self denial. If I am not the center of life, I am freed to accept all that comes my way with joy and thankfulness. "Joy to the world the Lord has come!"

THE ART OF RECOVERY

It is approaching six months, since my motorcycle accident. This is the first time I have experience recovering from a serious injury. I've had a couple of knee surgeries and one back surgery, but in all of them I progressed along rather quickly. So this painfully slow recovery is a new experience for me.

MY "NEW" CX 650 WAITS FOR ME

There have been many disappointments related to my expectations of a speedy recovery. I believed that if I worked hard on my therapy every day and took good care of myself, I would be very near 100% in 6 months. I became discouraged when I didn't see the gains I expected and became concerned that some thing was wrong with my shoulder.

As time has passed, I have realized that it is important to note the small gains rather than to wait for some big break through. My body will heal at its own pace and I need to continue to be nice to it. It is the only body I have.......and where would I live if I didn't have my body? Granted it is a sorry thing in many ways, but I should not be mad at it or speak ill of it.

I celebrate the new pain free movements I can do with my left arm below shoulder level rather than fret about my lack of mobility above shoulder level. I enjoy swimming with my lame chicken wing and focus on how I can swim more laps.

Healing is about taking what your body will give you with thanksgiving. It is recognizing the pace of ones recovery and accepting it.

I don't enjoy being serious for more that a few minutes at a time. Actually I am not very good at serious talk, as I have spent the majority of my life honing my silly skills. So I hope my reflections on the art of healing are not too boring or ridiculous.

I just wanted to get back to blogging again and felt a need to share a few of my recent thoughts.

Until next time..........don't hit anything harder that a pillow with your motorcycle.

THE FIRST RIDE

I rode a motorcycle for the first time since my accident. Flash Gordon, my good friend, motorcycle buddy and cycleologist recommended that I ride my wife's bike after he helped me (he did 99% of the work) get Diane's rear tire on, after tire repair.

I was not planning on riding a bike for a good while yet, as my shoulder is still a long way from working well. At present I am barely able to hold on to the handle bars. I rode the bike about 60 feet then slowly turned around and rode back.

I have only had a few pleasant thoughts about biking. They have floated into my head in the past week. One sunny day, I was surprised when " It will be fun to ride my bike" greeted me. Then a day or so ago " I would like to bike" appeared.

I think it will be a slow process to get comfortable riding again. I am in no hurry and actually expect to wait until next season, by then I should be healed up. I am certain I will need my cycleologist and other Nobodies to help me along. Some times I wonder if I will ever enjoy cycling like I used to prior to the accident.

Like many things in life; time will tell.

HANDICAP ACCESSIBIILITY

Four days ago I was given the OK by my doctor to start walking again. I had spent 87 days in a wheel chair! My motorcycle accident has brought many learning opportunities my way. Although I would never chosen to be injured and wheel chair bound, It has been a positive life changing experience. I may very well keep reflecting on this time of my life for years to come, as it has affected me in so many ways. One effect has been a greater awareness of how difficult it is to get around in a wheel chair. Bathrooms became a big concern for me whenever I was out and about. I learned to plan on encountering difficulties when needing to use a bathroom and when I encountered difficulties so did my wife Diane, as she would often need to help me overcome the barriers preventing me from getting to the toilet! We had some adventures; some real physical challenges. We found it to be interesting and humorous at times. I am very fortunate to have a wife who can meet adversity with a positive attitude and a sense of humor. There was one particular bathroom at a city park call Chambers Grove that just about did us in due to the steep access pathway. There were the bathrooms that Diane needed to help me into because the quarters were so tight, I was unable to navigate them alone. There were toilets that I could barely get on and off ,because the hand rails were not suited for my disability. Some times I wondered if I would need to be rescued! I could go on about heavy doors that I could not open, stall doors that would not cooperate and of course able bodied people using the handicapped stall rather than the able bodied one, but why complain when I can tell you about my favorite bathroom in Duluth Minnesota.

It has assist railings on the side wall and the back wall. It had wipes for the toilet seat.

It has a mat for changing.

It has a very nice shower with railings and an adjustable and removable shower head.

It has an automatic door opener on the outside and the inside. I am going to miss that bathroom!

SCOOTER TRAIL RIDING

Scootering on quite gravel roads for many is considered the perfect outing, but for wild and crazy guys like Randy and myself it is a little too boring.

Give us some mud, ruts and uncharted scooter territory. We like terrain that warns of danger and impending doom.

We found such a trail out near my home a couple of weeks ago. Not only was the trail ominous, but the sky was indicating a possible thunder storm. With a caviler attitude Randy, who's nick name is Mud Slinger, continued on the trail with his steely eyes fixed on the challenging terrain.

Randy and I may like to live on the edge when scootering pushing our skills and machines to the limit, but we also know when to call it good enough and turn back. When we encountered a steep hill on the trail we knew that we had met our match. Next year our scooter will have 12" on clearance when we toss our stock tires and replace them with aggressive knobbies. We still are in negotiations with Man vs. Wild to pay for the custom jobs on our scooters. We hope to do a couple of shows.

THE TWO AMIGOS

After working on an old Amigo Scooter that Randy had, we took a few shake down rides in his neighborhood to assure it was dependable. It turned out to have a couple of problems. Since I know very little about anything and especially about electrical systems, it looked like a lost cause to get the scooter road worthy. But yet again, tinkering combined with the power of prayer provided the solution. A business in town that services these electric scooters has a technician who was very willing to give me a few ideas and also some simple encouragement to keep tinkering. The scooter is now adventure certified. The first adventure was for Randy to teach me how to board a city bus.

Getting on a bus is not too difficult. It requires some backing up skills and the ability to perform while all the other riders are watching. Being handicapped involves teaching others patience too, as the bus driver has to lower the bus, extend a ramp, prepare a parking space for the scooter and then secure it. The process takes about 5 minutes, so travel comes to a halt. I imagine that one will encounter a grouchy bus driver every once in a while, but so far they have all been kind and patient.

We rode the bus for about 4 miles to the Duluth Rose Garden http://www.superiortrails.com/duluth-rose-garden.html and then took the Lake Walk down to Canal Park.

The Lake Walk http://www.duluthmn.gov/parks/trail_pages/lakewalk.cfm follows the shore of Lake Superior and is designed for walking, inline skating, running, biking and of course scootering. It is a very popular place especially on a beautiful summer day. Randy and I moved along at a leisurely pace enjoying all the sights and sounds.

Pictured above is Lief Erickson Park . Festivals and other gatherings occur here often. The past few years the City of Duluth has had Friday Night Outdoor Movies. This has turned out to be a very big success. The movies are for all ages so a good crowd gathers together with their blankets, lawn chairs and coolers full of treats!

There is a scenic train http://www.northshorescenicrailroad.org/Home/exdaily.asp that travels up the Northshore of Lake Superior. There a variety of rides available from short relatively inexpensive ones to others that are longer and offer a meal.

We traveled all the way down to the bridge then took the Duluth Skywalk system http://www.perfectduluthday.com/2009/04/18/duluth-skywalk-video/ up to the downtown business area and caught a bus back to Randy's house. The entire trip took about four hours.

THE WHEEL WORLD

It has been two months since my motorcycle accident. I have been confined to a wheelchair that entire time. I will continue to wheel around for at least one more month. My bones are healing, but it seems like it takes more time when one is older. My fracture of the tibia is also right at the joint so it is critical that it is well healed prior to putting much weight on the leg.

My time in a wheelchair has introduced me to another view of the world. I have experienced the challenges of getting around in public places and especially public bathrooms. Fact: Just because a bathroom is handicap accessible does not guarantee that it is functional for the handicapped. I have my favorite bathrooms in the Duluth area and I have several that I prefer to avoid. I am tempted to go into detail, but you probably aren't that interested. I have met many people, who when I come wheeling into their world, they anticipate the obstacles I will encounter and just help clear the way. Of course there are also some people who don't seem to see me and are themselves an obstacle I need to navigate around. If I were to be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of my earthly life, it would take me a good while to wrestle with that reality and come to terms with all its implications. Being a part-timer obviously only gives me a very small glimpse into the wheel world, its challenges and limitations.

We know that limitations and barriers can be challenged. I happen to have a friend who meets the challenges of the wheel world with determination and an adventurous spirit. Randy has cerebral palsy and has been using an electric scooter to navigate the world for the 30 years I've known him. He worked every day for the Duluth Public Library as a disability specialist until his retirement several years ago. He has camped, sailed, explored many walking trails and of course gotten himself into trouble countless times. I recently reconnected with him, since my accident, and have had the opportunity to discover his various efforts to create an adventurous community for people who are wheelchair bound. You can check out his website: http://wheelsontrails.org

I spent an afternoon and evening at a camp out he organized a couple of weeks ago and have spent time with him getting an old scooter of his up and running for my personal use. Randy and I were once know (by our wives) to be masters of getting into trouble together. Well now that I have an unreliable scooter at my disposal, Randy and I are able to get into trouble again.

I believe Randy approaches challenges in his life with a "why not" attitude. A couple of days ago we were trying to figure out what was causing the old scooter to simply shut down. We really did not figure out the short circuit, but since it seems to be running he said lets take it out around the block. "What if if shuts down", I asked. " I will push you back to my house", he answered. I thought that sounds good to me. So we took it around the block and every thing went fine. So of course, we then decided to go on a more extended trip, despite the fact that the scooter was still unreliable. We ended up being stranded. Randy's scooter got low on power (he likes to push the limits of his battery capacity before recharging) and my scooter shut down and would not power up again. Here is the picture; two fellows who cannot walk are sitting on two scooters that cannot move. We sat out in the hot sun until my wife came by and rescued us. Looking for adventure? Join Randy and I. We can find you an old scooter. We will welcome you with open arms into the Wheel World.