Ingenuity?

“Necessity is the mother of invention.” I live by that adage since I was diagnosed! I also remember the old Horn and Hardart slogan – “Less work for mother.” (Does anyone else remember H&H? They invented the Automat, and were a staple on city streets.) Now that I have such difficulty accomplishing even the simplest chores, I’ve had to become inventive and devise new ways to do things. My husband always chides me for doing these new, creative ventures – “I could have done that, you know.” “Why didn’t you wait until I got home?” Here, let me do that.” And I do appreciate all he does (even if it’s not quite the way I would have done things…) but there are times when I just want to do something on my own. Take this for example: I always keep a very small, lightweight table by my loveseat to hold my water, pen, notepaper, watch, and whatever I need close by. It has a lid and I can easily stash things. So when my little guy is coming, we always move it to the dining room. One time we forgot, and my husband was at the store. So, I put on my thinking cap, and came up with a solution. Using my walker, I placed the table in front of it, then moved the walker to meet it, moved the table another foot, and moved the walker. It worked out quite well, and I patted myself on the back. I accomplished the feat and still stayed safe. Another time (again my husband wasn’t home) I was making a pasta dish and it was nearly time to drain it. (When we designed this kitchen I followed the triangle arrangement, which means the sinks are on the opposite side of the stove.) How do I move the pot several feet across the room without spilling and burning myself? I just brought in a chair from the breakfast room, set it in front of the stove, carefully lifted the pot to the chair, even more carefully pushed the chair to the sinks, and lifted the pot in and drained it. Clever, right? My latest creation was finding a way to carry my things (coffee, phone, notebook) from the family room in the back of the house to the computer desk in the front, all while using my walker. Eureka! I covered the cup with a sheet of aluminum foil. And put it, along with the other items into a little tote. Then I could easily use the walker, while the tote was over my wrist. Every day, I find myself inventing new ways to help myself. I’ll never have the freedom of being totally independent, but at least I don’t have to feel like an invalid. Peace, Muff