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The familiar and tiresome conversation.

The other day as I was heading to the parking garage elevators, a man getting on ahead of me noticed I was heading that way and kindly held the doors so I could make that car. As I entered he said “is that a knee injury? I injured my knee once, and using crutches sucked.” Now faced with providing him an answer, I had to make a choice to go along with the injury theory or explain that the crutches were permanent. I chose to just say “ankle” and hoped that would satisfy his curiosity. Yeah, no such luck! Next came the dreaded words, “I bet you can’t wait   to ditch the crutches?”

What happened on the elevator is an everyday occurrence. Questioning and comments similar to those of the man in the elevator have become a daily part of my life, leaving me thinking that there should be a book out there on etiquette to talking to strangers on crutches. That evening I did a quick Google search for books on Etiquette, which gave me 1000’s of results. Here’s just a few of the more interesting titles I found: Etiquette for Dummies, A Gentleman’s Guide to Etiquette, How Not To Be a Dick!: An Everyday Etiquette Guide, Don’t Forget Your Etiquette!: The Essential Guide to Misbehavior and The Official Book of Electronic Etiquette. I won’t bore you with any more titles, but you get the point – there are a lot of books out there on the subject of etiquette. Yet in my search I didn’t find the etiquette book I was in search of: Crutch Talk Etiquette: The Official Guide to Making Small Talk With a Person Using Crutches.

I know this title might sound crazy, and you’re probably thinking “What do I need to know about making small talk with someone on crutches?” You ask what happened, how long the recovery will be and then sympathize with them about how difficult it must be to get around on crutches, right? No, no, no – you just stuck your foot in your mouth if that person on the crutches is a permanent crutch user. How are you going to feel when they answer “This isn’t an injury. I use crutches permanently”? Oh yeah, now how do you feel? Pretty uncomfortable, right? We don’t feel so good either. Those of us who walk with crutches full time don’t want to hear all the crutch horrors. The crutches are how we navigate through our everyday lives. We don’t need sympathy, as our crutches are what allows us to get out and live. We are just making our way through a normal day and really don’t appreciate commentary or interrogations about our crutches.

The problem: When people see crutches they assume ‘temporary leg injury’. What the average person knows about crutches is that they are associated with injury, pain and recovery. So, they feel bad and compelled to say something. It’s a gesture of kindness that results in making the asker uncomfortable and the crutch user feel like their crutches are all people see.

So, here it is: Darryl’s edition of Crutch Talk Etiquette: The Official Guide to Making Small Talk With a Person Using Crutches. Well, it’s not really a book, just my list of 10 things not to say to a stranger using crutches, followed by some friendly advice for the next time you cross paths with a stranger on crutches.

My List of 10 Things Not To Say To A Stranger Using Crutches
Be advised that I have added some snarky responses for your amusement. I don’t respond this way unless they really get on my nerves.

1. I had to use crutches once and they were more painful to use than walking on the injury. I get this one all the time. Seriously, I once had a lady go on and on about how painful two weeks of using crutches for a sprained ankle was. This was after telling her my crutches were permanent. I was trapped on the elevator with her, so I just stood there staring at her while she babbled on about how miserable crutches were to use until the elevator stopped at her floor. As she left she was still babbling down the hall. My crutches cause me zero pain in my normal daily routine and telling a full time crutch user these things just isn’t cool!
2. You must have really sore hands and arms. As a full time crutch user my hands and arms have become accustomed to bearing my body’s weight. So, along with proper grip pads and crutch tips, my hands and arms have zero pain from normal daily use. I have had a few people who were currently using crutches ask how I handled the hand pain. I have no problem with that; in fact, I enjoy helping someone out with their crutches. Once again, even if my hands and arms were sore I don’t need a stranger who’s not using crutches constantly pointing this out.
3. It must be exhausting walking on crutches. Yes, using crutches can quickly fatigue you, however like training for running you get to a point where you can go a certain distance with little effort. It’s the same with using crutches – once you are trained to go your normal daily distance, it is no more effort than walking. With this said, yes I get fatigued quickly when I have to walk longer than normal distances and prefer not being reminded of this by a stranger who has two healthy legs.
4. How much longer will you need the crutches? “It’s a life sentence!” This one backfires on them when I answer honestly. There was a time when I would spare them by skirting around the question. At this point I figure hey, it’s me using the crutches, so why should I worry about sparing them by not telling the truth?
5. Crutches really suck! “Thank you for telling me that!” Crutches might suck but without them I can’t get around, so to me they don’t suck. What sucks is that people would express negative remarks to me about something I need to walk.
6. How’s the foot/leg coming along? “No place for it to go!” Once again this one only serves to make them uncomfortable when I inform them that this is a permanent condition.
7. Is your leg broken? “Permanently!” No, my leg is not broken, and there are many other reasons for needing crutches. So unless you see a cast on my leg, consider I might require crutches for a different reason.
8. I feel your pain, I twisted my knee the other day. “Are you F…ing kidding me?” This is just pain ignorance – until they have gone through 6 surgeries and used crutches for 6 years they can’t possibly feel my pain.
9. I bet you can’t wait to get off the crutches. “It will be a long wait!” How do I respond to this? All I can really say is that they are permanent, and then the asker becomes silent and avoids any further eye contact.
10. Hope your leg heals soon! “Are we expecting miracles?” Once again, what can I say that isn’t going to make them feel bad that they said anything?

So here’s the thing folks – making small talk about a stranger’s crutches might just put them in an uncomfortable position to answer and put you in an uncomfortable position of hearing their answer. I try to soften the blow by quickly explaining that it is okay, the crutches are just a part of my daily life. Unfortunately these statements and questions can become very tiresome and can get the best of me. It would be wonderful to never hear them. I have often said that all I want to do is be a father supporting my children by attending their school events, just like any other parent, and not have to be interrogated about my crutches.

My advice before commenting on a stranger’s crutches:

• Are they using crutches temporarily due to injury/surgery or are the crutches permanent due to a disabling condition?

How can someone know if your crutches are permanent or temporary? There are a few things that could help a stranger out with this.

If the crutch user is not wearing a cast, bandaging, or one of those big black boots used for injuries, then assume the crutches might be permanent and choose not to make small talk about them.

Injury!

Injury!

Maybe not an injury!

If you are in the United States underarm crutches are the standard kind issued by doctors and hospitals for leg injuries. Forearm crutches are most typically used by full time crutch users.

Underarm Crutches
Injury?

Forearm Crutches
Maybe not injury!

Sidestix
Full Time Crutch User!

The crutch user’s comfort level and proficiency can be a clear indicator. Temporary crutch users tend to appear more uncomfortable and awkward due to lack of practice. Permanent crutch users generally appear comfortable and confident in their crutch mobility.

A temporary crutch user is also more apt to show frustration and even express it by saying something like, “Man, this really sucks” when confronted by strangers. A full time crutcher is going to appear as if everything is normal.

General rule of thumb – don’t mention a stranger’s crutches unless there is a clear injury. Consider making the same small talk you would with someone not using crutches.

Just as a pair of eye glasses help us see, a pair of crutches help us walk. If you wear eye glasses, imagine what it would be like to have your eye glasses questioned everywhere you went.

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Let me begin by saying that there are a vast amount of disabilities out there and I am by no means an expert on disabilities. I do, however know that people suffering from many disabling conditions can achieve exercise of some form and I want to give encouragement to do anything you can, no matter how small.

Beyond the obvious benefit being weight control, the Mayo Clinic has outlined many other health benefits of regular physical activity. They state that “regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, arthritis and falls.” Exercise can also stimulate various brain chemicals that can improve your mood and help you relax. Regular exercise can deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently giving you more energy. Physical activity can also promote better sleep and can give you the opportunity to get outside, unwind, and enjoy life.

Plain and simple, sitting too much is just not healthy. I am often asked if I have ever considered using a wheelchair or electric scooter. Those asking say it would be much easier on you than the crutches. Yes, there is no doubt that the crutches can put stress on my body and tire me out quicker than normal walking, but at the same time just walking with the crutches is a fantastic source of exercise. A team of mechanical engineers at Stanford have studied crutch use and say that “walking with crutches requires twice as much energy as normal walking. They also report that users of crutches are essentially doing a push-up with every step.” Beyond that the crutches keep me vertical allowing better blood circulation, they give me the ability to get places a wheelchair can’t go and I have one usable leg so I don’t need a wheelchair.

Exercise becomes even more important if you have a disability that limits your movement. In an article from livestrong.com they have reported that exercise is vital to keeping your blood flowing and to remain as healthy as possible. They also state that there are many forms of exercise that disabled people can do to remain active. Disabled-world.com states: “Keeping the body moving as much as possible in your wheelchair should be a regular part of your daily fitness program. This should be a priority no matter what your disability. Doing regular wheelchair exercise will help you increase your strength, flexibility, improve your mobility, strengthen your heart and lungs, and help you control your weight.” I have found all these things to be true. I find when I get out and exercise I feel stronger, healthier, happier, and more fulfilled in my life. I am up to trying anything, but it is important to find the right form of exercise that works best for you and your disability. A midday walk to get a cup of coffee can often seem like an unneeded painful struggle for me, however just getting up on the crutches and letting my leg swing through each step gets the blood flowing and eases some of the pain. When I get back to my desk I have less pain, feel energized and I am ready to face the rest of my work day. I go to the farthest coffee shop in the concourse simply as a way of forcing myself to walk more.

So how do I get my exercise? First, I have to dismiss all the excuses. “I have too much pain today, I feel tired today, I not feeling great or don’t have the time.” These are all the excuses that I want to use each day. The fact is when I force myself to exercise all these excuses go away. While I am exercising my mind goes away from my leg pain, I feel less tired, and ultimately feel much better. All winter I used the excuse that I had no time with going to work, I had to nip that excuse in the bud and I adjusted my work schedule to make daily exercise fit in.

Get a Workout

I go to the gym every other day after work. At the gym I work out every part of my body I can that doesn’t cause stress to my left leg. I find myself constantly wanting to accomplish more and more physically. The more I push, the more I accomplish the better I feel both physically and mentally. Each week I push myself to add a few additional chin ups to my exercise regime. I do a 60 minute workout sitting or hanging from my arms. Most gyms are filled with equipment that can be used sitting without the use of your legs. They all have trainers that can help you figure out what you can do as well.

Biking

At some point along my surgery and physical therapy journey, I was asked if I had a bicycle. It had never occurred to me that I would be able to pedal a bike with my left foot and ankle, but I was told to get on the bike and give it a try. To my disbelief, not only was it possible, but I also enjoyed it. Here’s the thing. If exercise is fun you can do it. I found that riding my bike was freeing, I couldn’t go for a walk but I could ride my bike for miles and I did. Yes, the pedaling does cause some pain to my leg, but it is tolerable, so the overall benefits I get from bike riding outweighs the pain.

Swimming

From the time I had my cast removed after my first surgery, swimming has been one of my favorite forms of exercise. Like biking it is enjoyable so I am getting exercise without giving it a thought. From that first time I slipped into the deep end of the pool, after getting the okay from my surgeon, the sense of relief was tremendous. I still had weeks and weeks to go of being non weight bearing on crutches, but in that pool my arms were free from the crutches and I could swim all around the pool and be just like everyone else. Since then swimming has gotten me through five additional recoveries and is now a wonderful source of exercise. Each spring I can’t wait for the weather to break so I can release my arms from my crutches, slip into the pool and feel the freedom of movement without pain or crutches.

I also ski and snowshoe adaptively in the winter. See earlier post Playing In The Snow.

Exercise is not only beneficial to your physical well-being but it also helps your mental health immensely. Finding ways to exercise and ways to get out and be active has helped to replace all the things I have had to give up. The hard part might be to find exercise that you can do. My advice is to talk about what exercises might work for you with your doctor, physical therapist, or a qualified trainer. There are also many adaptive sports programs out there. Their goal is to give people with disabilities freedom and exercise through sport. Do a Google search to find one near you. Find a way to exercise that works with your disability and push yourself. It will completely change how you feel about yourself for the better.

Thanks for reading and get out and exercise! Please subscribe for new post email notifications or come back in two weeks for a new story!

It’s funny how something so useful can cause so many problems. From the very first time I used a pair of crutches I have constantly found myself faced with the dilemma of what to do with them when they are not in use.

I feel trapped when not having my crutches at arm’s reach, and at the same time I certainly don’t want someone to get by injured tripping on them. Hence the dilemma of where do I stow the crutches?

Cartoon by http://leifhyuga.deviantart.com/

I will start off this tale of woe by stating that when nature calls, I don’t want to have to ask somebody to fetch me my crutches. Certainly, during times I was non-weight-bearing on my leg for healing purposes I needed my crutches available at all times, however they now provide me the necessary support needed for walking and, like your best buddies, the comfort of having them available at all times is priceless. When you require crutches to walk they are your legs, and without them you are rendered immobile. Therefore whether I am sitting on my couch, at work, in a restaurant or on an airplane, I want my crutches at arm’s reach at all times. Asking for someone to get you your legs (crutches) every time you need to move is a demoralizing experience.

Seems pretty simple right? Unfortunately these wonderful devices that allow me to walk and give me freedom can be unruly little buggers when not attached to my arms. They can’t stand on their own; when leaning against a wall they tend to fall over at the touch of a feather, they trip people up when lying on the floor, and the lack the ability to walk on their own. It is for these reasons that keeping them at arm’s reach can often be difficult. Let’s not forget those extremely helpful people who say “let me take your crutches for you” and then stash them out of the way as if they were your coat. This isn’t so helpful when you realize you are the only one left behind and your crutches are being held hostage on the other side of the room. Somehow, they always forget to return the crutches to you before they leave.

My crutches 10 seconds after sitting down at the Ice Cream Shope.

When dining out I am always looking for that perfect spot to stow my crutches. The table in the corner where I can safely stash the crutches is my best hope. A booth works well too, but most times I am at the mercy of the available table. The available tables are often close together, and floating in the center of the floor, so if I lean the crutches against a chair or the table they end up in the way or simply crashing to the floor. If I lay them on the floor I am always in a panic that someone will trip on them. I would hate for someone to have to explain to their friends that they broke their leg falling over some guy’s crutches; a pretty ironic way to break a leg. Either way my buddies ultimately end up in someone’s way or where I can’t reach them.

Movie theaters and auditoriums are always a “double-decker treat” for me. With three kids I find myself in the school auditorium more times than I can count. The “double decker treat” – not so much – is really a two-fold headache because I require an aisle seat for easier access and so I can rest my leg in the aisle. With no movable joints in my lower leg having it crammed into those tight theater rows becomes so painful that I would end up passing out after ten minutes. So I settle into my aisle seat, and tuck my crutches down tightly alongside the seat in the aisle. This never fails: even with the whole aisle wide open the first person that comes in somehow becomes a magnet to my crutches and catches their toe on them. If I lay them down on the floor in front of the seats, every time someone needs to climb in or out of the row, they are tripping over my crutches. Then I get the “oh you’re on crutches, I feel so bad making you move” routine as they flash me the sad pathetic puppy dog face.

Crutch Stand by Thomas Fettermen – great product for home, but difficult to travel with.

Meetings at work take place in a conference room. Typical to most conference rooms there is a large table surrounded by chairs and little room to walk around the perimeter. Once again if I lean the crutches up against the wall behind my chair, every time someone walks by the crutches topple to the floor. If I lay them on the floor, even if they are tucked under the table, someone, somehow always ends up tripping on them. The thing that makes these situations most uncomfortable is that people become overly apologetic about accidently knocking them over. They react as if they just knocked over a sacred artifact at the Smithsonian. It’s only crutches people! Pick them up and move on!

Then there is the dreaded airplane, where the tools you need to walk somehow become weapons of mass destruction. I have actually had to convince a flight attendant that I was not going to use my crutches to stage a hijacking. When you get on an airplane with crutches, after you sit the attendant comes by, takes your crutches from you and then stows them in an overhead compartment – which is usually about twenty seats from yours. Once the plane is loaded your crutches become buried under several trunks: “excuse me, I guess people call them carry-ons.” So good luck if you need to use the bathroom during the flight, and once you land you’re at the mercy of the passengers unearthing your crutches and getting them passed over everyone’s heads to you. While this is happening everyone who handles your crutches is yelling “who needs their crutches?” and everyone you’re blocking while waiting for your crutches is yelling “move it buddy!”

So after a few plane travels with crutches I purchased a pair of folding forearm crutches with plans to fold and put them in my carry-on, then stow under the seat once seated. Upon entering the plane the (not so) helpful flight attendant explained to me that she will have to take my crutches and store them in the closet at the front of the plane. I explained that I preferred to keep my crutches with me and planned to fold them and place them in my carry-on, and then moved on down the aisle to my seat which was near the back of the plane. Just before the plane was ready to take off the crutch-Nazi attendant arrived to retrieve my crutches. Once again, I explained that they were safely in my carry-on and I preferred to keep them with me. She then says, “Sir you cannot keep them with you because once in the air you might use them as weapons.” At this point another passenger listening to this craziness came to my rescue and told her she could not take someone’s crutches away from them. She finally backed off and my crutches remained safely with me until the plane landed. While the folding crutches worked great for stowing in my bag on the plane, they were flimsy and unstable for walking so I discarded them. I’ve ultimately resolved to sucking it up and having my crutches held hostage, buried deep within a faraway overhead compartment.

This is just a small sampling of the most popular places keeping your crutches safely with you can be difficult, and trust me, there are many more. I will end my tale by saying that if I had a nickel for every time I retrieved my crutches after having them fall to the floor or having to move them out of someone’s way, I would be a rich man. My crutches are my best buddies, but as you can see even the best of friends can get on your nerves from time to time.

Thanks for reading! Please subscribe and never miss a post or come back in two weeks when I discuss the value of getting exercise.

 Merriam Webster Dictionary defines ‘perspective’ as “the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance.”

I have found that a change in perspective can be the difference between accepting a circumstance and not accepting it. It is a reevaluation of the importance you place on each situation you might encounter.

The signs of spring weather are finally starting to emerge as we slowly climb out of a long winter here in the North East. While I am delighted by the thoughts of leaving the house without a jacket, walking on grass instead of ice and snow, and seeing the foliage on the trees, spring brings another source of frustration for me. This frustration is another loss of a once enjoyed activity: gardening.

From as far back as I can remember I have loved working outside, planting flowers and vegetables. I had a natural talent, not only to get things to grow, but to create beautiful gardens. When I was fourteen, I went to work for a local landscaper. I worked every summer mowing lawns, digging holes, and man handling a lot of stone. In my early twenties, I broke away from this position and started my own landscaping business. It was hard work, but I loved working with plants, soil, and stone to create beautiful and unique landscapes.

My passion for working with plants and stone has been very evident in every house I have lived in.  My current home is no exception. We built the house so over the years I have designed, planted, and changed the landscape many times. At any given moment, my yard looked as if a professional landscape crew had just left.  If I had a bad day at work or a stressful week, I spent the evening or weekend getting my hands dirty in my yard. When puttering in my yard, the stress melted away. I would mulch, plant flowers, move shrubs around, or plan a new project.  There was nothing more relaxing then my daily wander around my yard pulling weeds and hand clipping branches making sure the shrubs and trees kept a tamed, natural appearance.

My yard was my sanctuary.  Keeping it manicured was a pleasure and gave me serenity.  It kept me in good physical and mental health.  The biggest reward was returning home each day and having the daily stresses disappear as I saw my perfectly groomed masterpiece.

Unfortunately, my once perfectly groomed yard has become a source of pain, stress, and frustration instead of pleasure.  I still managed to keep it neatly groomed and adopted many ways to do the work myself, but as my perspective changed with many other things, so has it with my yard.

The first summer that I was unable to maintain my yard was heart-wrenching.  I watched years of my pride and joy turn into an overgrown jungle of weeds.  Suddenly, due to an injury to my body, my over-landscaped, high maintenance yard became something I couldn’t bear to look at. Since that summer, I have crawled on hands and knees, hopped around on one leg, and endured unimaginable pain in an attempt to keep my yard up to the standard it once was.  It didn’t take long after experiencing days that ended in me lying on my back in the grass, frustrated and crying in pain, to realize a different perspective.

In the last couple of years, I have tried to simplify the maintenance of my yard.  Someday, I will relocate to a house with much less landscaping to take care of.  For now, though, I find ways to manage with what I have.

Lawn Tractor
The first thing I did was trade the walk-behind mower for a lawn tractor. The tractor makes it possible for me to mow the lawn, dethatch the grass in the spring, and clean up leaves in autumn. I also can transport materials and tools more easily.

Rolling Garden Stool
The purchase of a short stool made specifically for gardening that steers and has wheels allows me to do weeding, planting, and pruning, while sitting comfortably.

Electric Hedger
I gave up on hand pruning my shrubs daily to keep their natural look. I now prune a few shrubs here and there with a few swipes of the electric hedger, while sitting or kneeling on the garden stool. By the end of August, they are all sporting perfectly contrived haircuts instead of a natural tamed look, but the yard appears neat and cared for.

Hire Out
Sometimes, you just need to give in and hire some jobs out. These include jobs like cleaning the leaves that are packed around the shrubs and spreading mulch. Those are two of the toughest jobs for me, and definitely not considered fun. So I hire out a spring and fall cleaning of my landscape beds. This summer, I am also hiring someone to replace all the mulch with brown stone. The stone will be a long-lasting alternative to the mulch. Not worrying about these two jobs will take the stress away and allow me to concentrate on things I want to accomplish myself.

These tools have made it possible for me to still get out and have the satisfaction of gardening/landscaping myself. The jobs that once took an hour to complete now can take me weeks to complete. While this can cause frustration, in the end, the sense of accomplishment is a great reward. I have also done a few things to cut down on the maintenance such as removing some of the more unruly shrubs and only planting flowers in planters.

It’s true that my yard isn’t the pristine showcase it once was, and maintaining it no longer gives me the pleasure and relaxation it once did.  However, the funny thing is as I sit on my patio and look across my backyard, and each time I drive into my driveway, I still feel great pleasure and reward.  I could not change the reality of my situation, so I had to change how I viewed the importance of my yard.  My new perspective is not in the pleasure I get from doing the work and having every detail perfect…. Now, it’s about the accomplishment of keeping it neatly maintained by myself, despite my disability.  When my neighbor commented how nice my yard looked last summer, I said, “Not bad for a crippled man!”

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, try changing your perspective on it.

Crutches do the job they are made for very well.  They are essentially a way to extend your arms’ reach to the ground assisting you with walking.  The problem is, your hands are needed to hold on to the crutches making carrying quite difficult.  This makes careful planning a crucial part of your independence.   Over the years, I have mastered many ways of carrying the things I need.  The following are the top 10 ways I use to carry things while using crutches to walk.

Large Backpack – A large backpack is a must for traveling. I use one to carry heavier books or larger items.

Small Backpack (one with a sling strap for easy on and off) – works great for everyday items you need to transport.  I use mine every day for going to work.  It carries my lunch, water bottle, coffee and other small items I might need.

Cinch Top Backpack – Great for notebook, pens, book or paperwork.  I use mine all the time, I like it because it is light and can be carried in hand while still holding my crutch hand grip.

Large Backpack

Small Backpack

Cinch Backpack

Three Finger Hold – this takes some practice but doable.   I use my thumb, pointer and middle finger to hold things like a cereal box, book, coffee cup, milk carton and like items while bearing weight through my palms and holding hand grip with the other two fingers.

Spill Proof To Go Coffee Cup– use the three finger method.  I mastered this while non-weight bearing so I could get my coffee from car to house.  I use this method everyday transporting my coffee down a 300ft concourse and up the elevator to my office.  Never spill a drop

Lots of Pockets in Clothes– I never buy a pair of shorts or pants without pockets.  Pockets in shirts are excellent ways to transport cell phones or remotes. I have even put a water bottle in a tee shirt pocket.  Lots of pockets in jackets a must.  My pockets are always full.

Hang Around Neck – This is often the way bath towels are transported, however I hang my pants and shirts around my neck to get them from closet to bed were I can sit to dress.  If it can be draped around my neck it gets transported that way.

Kick in front of you – Large boxes, laundry baskets or anything large I kick with my good leg then take step with crutches and kick again. Repeat until you reach your destination.  Placing the object on a rolling chair and nudging it along in front of you also works very well.

Recycle plastic shopping bags – These not only work great for picking up a few items at the store, they are an excellent way to retrieve your mail from the mailbox to house.  Works well for carrying many items.  I often stash one in my pocket so I am prepared just in case I need to carry some thing.

Assembly Line Transport System– This is the way I transport my breakfast, snacks, drinks and things around the kitchen.  I move my lunch to the farthest surface I can reach, then crutch as far as I can, reach back grab and move it along to the nest farthest surface I can reach, repeat until you and your lunch have reached your destination.  I use this method for cooking and working in the kitchen.  While working in the kitchen I drop one crutch and use the counters as my one of my crutches.  This way I keep one hand free.

Using these 10 methods of carrying have all become second nature to me.  The planning involved has become an integral part of my everyday as well.   I am always planning out my daily journeys giving careful planning to ensure I will be prepared for the things I might need to carry.

Thank you for reading.  Next post will be Keeping Perspective