What I Saw Driving Home

I was driving home on Tantau, and saw a man on the sidewalk with a strange tool around him.  Basically, he was learning to walk.  The tool held him up, and behind him was a woman, I presume his mother, helping him move along.  He leaned forward on the contraption, and it had wheels.  He slowly manipulated it forward with his woman's help.

It was the most incredible thing.  I turned around and drove back past, and then turned around and drove pass again, going very slowly, until a car pulled up behind me.

Three things struck me.   One is the struggle to do something the rest of us take for granted.  I don't know the history or the problems this man had, whether a stroke as an adult, brain injury or cerebral palsy from childhood.  What I do know is that he was struggling to regain the ability to walk.  How much drive he must have had, when he could just have given up and accepted his incapabilities. 

The second is medical advancements.  I had never seen a medical tool like the one he was using.  It was much more than a simple walker.  It actually could support his weight, and allow him to stand up, while he practiced his walking. 

The third is the love of the woman with him.  To be honest, I am not sure if it was his mother, wife, sister, or caretaker.  But she was putting just as much effort as he was into his walking practice.  She stood right behind him, making sure the walking tool did not roll too far, and making sure he was steady on his feet.

So I must admit, this was just a little thing, but I was moved almost to tears as I watched them struggle along.  I wanted to yell out the window, "you can do it."  But I let decorum guide my response as I drove past.  Perhaps they may not have wanted the attention.