Hi, James!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

AH>  I'm okay in salt water.  As for fresh water, I'm not
AH>  sure yet.  :-))

JB>  You need a sweat lodge, and quick dump into the Athabasca
JB>  River. That'll 'freshen' you up in a hurry!


          Hmm.  I've been swimming in Howe Sound... that's cold enough for
me! What I had in mind there, though, was that salt water is more
buoyant....  :-)



JB>  Nora's my kind.  Any kid that can drag her parents
JB>  out on a lake, has all my respect in the world.

AH>  We had to be willing to try it & the opportunity
AH>  never arose earlier. But Nora is certainly a force
AH>  to be reckoned with.  I've often been known to say
AH>  "Look out, World... here comes Nora!"  ;-)

JB>  Well, see? You were open enough to jump on the chance,


          Yes...



JB>  and perhaps Nora's enthusiasm swayed your decision,


          Yes...



JB>  where you met others just like yourself. Funny how
JB>  your type tend to congregate in herds.


          That's what makes it a new experience... I'd never thought of
myself as a herd animal, but it's obvious there.  Whether you are
supposedly abled or disabled, you're part of the group.  People recognize
that you love to do what they love to do, there's a mutual willingness to
learn by doing... and nothing else matters.  Besides, there's a lot of
effort involved in hauling a kayak to SomePlace Else & getting it into
the water.  What's another fifteen minutes if all a person needs is a bit
of help in order to join the fun??

          As one of our friends remarked, we seem to be spending a lot of
time with people who are disabled (and/or with caregivers of same).  I must
confess that I rather enjoy the supportive feedback we get from folks who
know whereof they speak... but I don't think disability automagically makes
a person better able to relate to others.  What it does for them, and their
nearest & dearest, is to make the learning curve steeper.  Some people
rise to the challenge, and others don't.  I have no desire to cultivate any
further acquaintance with the woman we met at McDonald's, for example, who
threw me an icy glare because I'd taken a mentally handicapped teenager
into a stall which she felt was reserved exclusively for wheelchair users
like *her*... or with the woman we met at the theatre who kept knocking
impatiently on the door of the washroom Nora & I and her wheelchair
were using because her husband (older man with cane) wanted it. OTOH, I
don't mind sharing a "family washroom" with parents of younger
kids as long as a whole bunch of stuff hasn't been added as an afterthought
to a space which barely met minimum standards to begin with.  A changing
table can double as a grab bar... or it can occupy space the wheelchair
user desperately needs.

          Recently, in our local shopping area, Dallas determined that 1/10
of the pedestrians were using some sort of mobility aid.  Folks with
disabilities don't have to hide in a back bedroom any more... long may it
last!  And as for those who lose interest when they see a cane or
whatever... is it worth trying to drag them kicking & screaming into
the 21st century?  Probably not....  :-)



JB>  A day being the fool for the Whisky Jacks, always
JB>  seemed to be more fun than any gym teacher I ever had.


          That's my take on it.  I'm not up to long walks any more, but I
love being in the great outdoors & kayaking offers another way to get
around.  :-))



JB>  [...] he was pushing bobsled for most of the past ten
JB>  years. He was a little shy, that he didn't gather as
JB>  much money by then as he would like, but we both agreed
JB>  the travel plan, and elite exercise club he belonged to
JB>  would be worth MANY millions. How on earth do you buy
JB>  what he experienced?


          For everything else, there's MasterCard.  Quite a clever ad....  ;-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+