The Cane

Most of the time, the cane stands by the chair in a corner.  It is there for when I perceive that I need it.  I've come to suspect that I need it more than I am using it.

The cane was suggested to me as an alternative to a disabled parking permit.  I kept falling.  When I fall, I almost always fall to my right side.  I used the cane extensively at first. 

Summer came and with it my first pair of a certain kind of sandals.  Those sandals did wonders for me.  The first pair lasted me five years.  I went cross-country with them by myself for three weeks.  I was still falling with them, but less. 

Time passes.  I got a second pair of those sandals.  I used the cane less.  The dog keeps me upright when we walk together.  I don't fall with her now.

A friend of mine saw me walking one day.  "Where's the cane?" he asked.  He snorted when I informed him that I was walking 'fine' without it.  "What does the doctor say?" he asked.  I growled at him.

I've gone back to using the cane for walking any distance when the dog is home.  It helps.  The cane helps me judge where the ground is.  I am steadier with it than without. 

And I am good with that.

sapphoq healing traumatic brain injury