We Are All Equal in the Snow

It’s snowing again. This time, though, the road outside my house is passable, obviously, it’s been gritted at some point. Last time I was stuck in the house for three days, as I couldn’t get out.

If I didn’t have such a wonderful carer, I would have real problems. The snow lays thick on our drive, and if he hadn’t been out clearing it all away, there’s no way I could have got out when I did.

I find myself thinking about the problems that able-bodied people are having in getting out and about: I hear their constant grumbles about how careful they have to be in the snow, and how they can’t get to the shops or work easily. This is how it is for the disabled all the time. We have to think about how we’re going to get around from the moment we wake up in the morning to the time we get into bed at night. If I could somehow point this out, maybe we’d have more understanding from those around us?

Perhaps not. People see what they want and expect to see, and most of them are so wrapped up in their own lives they have little time or energy to think about others. I’m as guilty of that as the next person.

But there is a certain pleasure in watching everyone else having to be careful where they put their feet, and being really scared about falling. Somehow, for now, it seems to make us all more equal.

~ Ruth Wood is a regular contributor for SRNA blog. Based in the UK, Ruth was diagnosed with TM in 2006. She now shares her personal stories with SRNA community.