• Pages

  • About Cathy Aten
  • Cathy’s Video
  • View Cathy’s Current Work

My Wheelchair Is Fast (finally)

untitled, 1980, 24″ x 5′, pigment on wool
_________________________________________

Ok.. I know I was moaning about my wheelchair’s capacity to go faster than a crawl.

Number one: Did I ever in my wildest dreams imagine I would use the words ‘my’ and ‘wheelchair’ in a sentence in my lifetime?

NOT!!!!!!!!!

Number two:   Is it really fun to have figured that out ?   By gum…  the damn thing really goes at a clip!

YES, Indeed………..

I figured out that there were different ‘modes’ one could set the chair to and I inadvertently had mine set to the aged and decrepit mode.

AND NOW!!!!!!!!!!!                    NOW I GO FAST!

I drag the dog behind me…    (not really).

I went online and found a cool safety flag because, interestingly, I think I want to stick around for awhile.

I am taking my own advice and tuning my point-of-view towards adventure instead of some weird and ‘take-me-down’ kind of experience.

The best advice someone gave me when it was time for me to get a walker was this: “Cathy, just look at it as support, not a sentence.”

And I see now that I very much like the feeling of support after a lifetime of trying to do it (the life thing) alone.

Allowing support is a fine thing, actually.

I am looking at myself as part of a mangrove forest.

One small part of the whole with the knowledge that without me, the symphony and perfection of the root system would ring a sour tune.

comments