Ugh

😞 Radiation is catching up with me.  I’ve had an unhappy tummy for a couple of days now, and I’ve been popping my anti-emetics like Skittles, or at least, I’ve been taking them every 4 hours, which is about the same thing.  I have been trying to eat, which is a little more challenging, since my system seems to want to work in reverse… not fun.  It’s making me irritable, since I also feel weak and I want to eat.  Jerry has been cuddling me all day — literally.  He slept under my arm against my side all night, and since I’ve been up has been on my lap most of the time.  Don is good, and is now being pounced on by Jerry who wants to play…

I’ll just note that I’m a tiny bit cranky, so if I’m not my usual self, that’s why.  My sister tells met that it’s wrong of me to judge, and I try, but still… this is in regard to handicapped parking stickers.  They’re issued for those who have difficulty walking, and therefore get to use spots near the entrance of stores / restaurants / offices, etc.  I know, both from what I’ve seen and news reports, that there are people who make use of them who have no right to one — for instance, using a grandparent’s sticker when they’re not in the car, because the spot is close.  I also know that not every disability is visible and obvious, so that it sometimes might seem that the person using the spot doesn’t need assistance.  Where my difficulty — and my tendency to judge — comes in is when you see some huge truck that needs stairs to get into the cab parked in one of those spots.  I mean, if you can climb ladders and stairs, then you probably don’t have much difficulty walking, do you?   I call shenanigans on those vehicles in the handicap spaces.  I suppose that there’s nothing preventing a wheelchair user from modifying the cab of a truck with a lift to get them in and out, although it’s not something that I would consider doing.  I’ve climbed into those kinds of vehicles myself, although not since my back surgery, since I’d need to be lifted up (my balance won’t accommodate that.)  Or (rarer, but I’ve also seen it) someone who parks a sport bike in a handicap area.  I’m questioning the ability of someone who can straddle and ride a bike to have legitimate difficulty walking…  If I see a handicap sticker in either of those vehicles, I don’t challenge them, but often there’s none, just those questionable forms of transportation… (and, I admit, I’ve never seen a motorbike with a handicap sticker!)   Also, I judge if a pickup with only one seat, or a 2-seater car pulls into one of the “family parking” spots… they’re intended for people with toddlers, and you aren’t allowed to transport a toddler in the front seat, so they’re being used by (IMO) cheaters.

I know, it’s an unworthy and unkind line of thought.   Anyone want to help me overcome these prejudices?  To me, it’s a sign of unfairness when people try to game the system like that.  At most, 1 spot in 10 is assigned to handicap spaces, leaving 9 other spaces available.  The people who genuinely need those spots should, therefore, be the only ones using them; there are, after all, 90% of spaces available to fully able-bodied persons.  I’ve heard the whining about, “why should they get to park close?  I just need to do something quickly, why should I have to park further away?”  That line of thinking is selfish and whiny — it’s like complaining that you can’t get all the slices of cake, even though you can only eat one.  This is my observation, I haven’t worked on researching how widespread it is, but that kind of thinking enables the exploitation of groups, by setting up false “us vs them” thinking.  Other obvious examples (not an exhaustive list) include, “When is men’s day?” “Why are seniors getting to skip the lines?” “How come I don’t get a seniors’ discount?” “What about straight pride day?” — they’re all evidence of a selfish, entitled individualism which thinks that my needs are the only ones that matter, and the world should be arranged for my convenience.  The thing is, though, that by empowering the weaker / more vulnerable people, society improves overall.  Don’t believe me?  Think about inventions like power steering, automatic washing machines, wheeled suitcases, escalators, elevators, remote door openers… all of them make everyone’s life easier, not just people who are unable to lift and carry weights, or who have difficulty moving.  Then there’s teletype (closed captioning), scalable text, visual and audio messaging… I bet you can name several such! Anyway, the summary is be considerate of others, play fair and help others to be the best they can be.  Complaining because someone needs more help than you is really self-centred, unkind and unhelpful.

Sorry; this came about because I’d gone somewhere and a massive double-cab Hemi truck had straddled not 2, but THREE parking spaces, including a handicap one, making it difficult to navigate, especially with the snowbanks, etc.  I know, I can’t force people to behave and I can only adapt my response to a situation, so now that I’ve vented, I’ll go take my next dose of anti-vomiting medication and try to eat some toast!  Good night!