My New Set of Wheels

By Darlene Uggen

 

There you stand, and I see you stare

Thinking, poor dear, she’s stuck in that chair.

But I’m not sad, I’m very happy because

I haven’t forgotten the way it was.

 

You’d say, “How about a trip to the zoo?

A walk in the park would be good for you.”

I was thinking tomorrow, I’ll be a wreck,

From my aching feet, to the pain in my neck.

 

You’d want to go shopping, all over town.

I was thinking, but there’s no place to sit down.

For you it’s a snap, just to go to the store.

But for me the ordeal was more of a chore.

 

Now I can go whenever I please.

I can shop in the mall with newfound ease.

Do all the things that have to be done,

And even go out and have some fun.

 

So, do you want to know how it really feels,

To be sitting here between these wheels?

Can you remember that far,

When you got your very first car?

Well, that’s how these wheels feel to me.

They don’t hold me down, they set me free.

So, don’t think all those pitiful things:

These aren’t wheels, I think they’re my wings.

 

Reprinted with permission from the Post Polio Voice

 

More Post Polio in the news...

 

Eating Breakfast:  According to Dr. Richard Bruno, it is very important for us to eat a good breakfast.  Since a polio survivor can use more energy just getting showered and dressed than someone running a marathon can, we need to eat a nutritious breakfast.  He recommends including protein, such as eggs, nuts, cheese or yogurt.

 

Laughter:  Someone once called laughter “internal jogging”.  Did you know that a good belly laugh can provide up to 45 minutes of relaxation?  Spasms in the diaphragm cause the lungs to expand and take in more oxygen.  The heart pumps more blood and oxygen to the body, and circulation improves.  Even digestion improves.  When we laugh, the brain releases pain-reducing chemicals called endorphins into the bloodstream that help the healing process.  So, let’s watch a funny show, read a funny book or article, listen to some funny jokes, find joy in everyday life!

 

 

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