Morning! This may ramble a bit. Be prepared.
First thing: we had another car vs bicycle accident. The bicycle lost. In fact she lost big time. She was killed. Why mention it here? Well, probably because the driver was 85. I do not know but I would suspect vision was a factor.
Sour grapes? She was driving; I am not? Maybe a little but I have no intention of topping off an otherwise successful life by killing someone. I will take my situation over hers right now. Comparison skill. It is the second C in ACCEPTS.
I kept asking myself what would compel someone who probably should not do it to get the behind the wheel. I came up with a few answers. Doctor’s appointments for one.
Which brings me to my first tangent. About 12 weeks ago I gave my ophthalmologist my form for public transportation. Don’t think anything fancy here; OK? Short bus. ‘Flexible’ time schedule. Now to give the devil his due, dear ol’ doc took two weeks to send the form in. Just the same: 12 – 2 = 10; right? Where is my acceptance? Older people with health problems can have a lot of health appointments in ten weeks. Gotta get there somehow.
Convenience was an idea I came up with yesterday. My husband had to go into the hospital (thank you…long story, short page). He had insisted on dropping me at work on the way. That meant I was several miles away with work stuff, vision stuff and even yoga stuff stuffing my cart. I also had to stop at the pharmacy for medication.
OK. Here come the planning skills. I had a co-worker drop me off at the pharmacy. I got my meds, changed in their bathroom, did some shopping (more to carry, but I was there) and sat on the sidewalk listening to my BARD book for an hour.
Bless people. Even though it was probably somewhat startling to see a nearly 63-year-old woman in pink and black yoga tights sitting on the sidewalk next to a packed cart (remember this is small town Pennsylvania not Manhattan; we don’t have many street people), there was only one person who said anything and she wanted to help.
Help me find the nearest psychiatric ward? Maybe but she was concerned.
My yoga instructor arrived before the police or the men in the white coats and she took me to class with her. My brother-in-law picked my up after class and brought me home. Wow.
So what do people without supports and creative problem-solving skills do? I suspect they try to drive.
The last idea I came up with was basic necessities. I am running out of milk. I can walk three blocks to the convenience market for that. Not everyone has that option and, to quote my parents, on some things, the convenience market charges three prices!
I looked on line for local food delivery places. None of the groceries advertise that service. Maybe if I called and asked they would have it. Dunno.
The first one I found was Schwan’s. I know nothing about them except I see their trucks moving around the area. Their website looked like it is a lot of prepared, heat and eat stuff. They advertise a partnership with AARP and it seems you can get a discount if you are an AARPer. Might be worth checking out for some things. Let us know. [until 8/31/16: save 50% off your first purchase plus free delivery–click here.]
Then just on a whim, I went to – one guess – Amazon. I discovered Amazon sells groceries! It is not just the Japanese Oreo cookies and $132 seafood dinner for two although they are offered. They sell canned veggies and laundry detergent and hundreds of other things you would find in your basic grocery store.
If you add delivery costs, the fees might get a little salty, but that is often the price you have to pay for convenience – and safety and being able to sleep at night for whatever time you have left.
Milk, eggs? Not on Amazon. They may be some things the neighbor picks up for you. Also, I know the local agency for the blind takes people for groceries once a month. Better to have milk for half the month than not at all, I guess.
Feels better knowing I will have a way to eat if I can’t drive. How about you?
Next: Still No Milk or Eggs
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