It happens to me all the time. Unless I’m wearing shorts, so that the scarring is visible, people glare when I park in a handicap spot. No, I am usually not limping. It takes effort, but limping is bad for the rest of my body. Believe me, when I park there, I need it.
I’m not the only one. It isn’t talked about much, because it is embarrassing. Some people look down on the handicapped, as if they are a lesser order of people. However, heart disease, injuries and other invisible problems do cause some of us to have special needs.
If you knew how much of a struggle it can be to walk a short distance, you might not judge. If you felt the jarring pain each step can create, you wouldn’t condemn. If you had to fight for every breath you took, you might change your attitude towards those who use these spots.
There are other times when people need special care; not just on outings to the mall or grocery store. People with depression find it difficult to come out of their shell and spend time talking to others. It’s not because they are stuck up, it’s because they have a serious problem.
Fibromyalgia is another misunderstood and usually invisible handicap. It causes serious pain and something I’ve heard called “fibrofog.” It makes thinking harder at times. It doesn’t mean the person is dumb. It means they have a problem.
We all want to be different, but no one wants to be different in a negative way. I would gladly give up that little blue sign if the pain from a shattered knee and damaged vertebrae was gone. I would have no problem parking further away from my destination if walking that far wasn’t painful.
I don’t have that option. The damage is done. Neither does the heart patient. Believe me, they would much prefer not needing an oxygen tank at all times. They’d love to not run out of breath just walking to the supermarket door from the handicapped spot.
What needs done is for each of us to think of others. How would you feel if you had a serious problem that no one could see? How would you feel if others treated you badly because you have that problem…or because they don’t believe you have a problem in the first place? If you wouldn’t like to be treated that way, please don’t treat others that way. You never know when you may actually be one of us.