A THOUSAND MILES: October 2017

My road came to an unexpected halt on November 9, 2010.

I was bicycling to work that morning when a garbage truck drove into a Philadelphia bike lane. I was in that bike lane.

Trauma surgeons saved my life, but they had to amputate my left leg above the knee. The accident changed my body and health forever.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

For more than a decade, that journey has become my way of moving through the world.

I am a person with ability and disability. I travel in the space between. These are my postcards.

Saturday, October 14, 2017

What Happened to You?

Mile Marker 5575:

On a Saturday afternoon, my mom and I are running errands at the Montgomery Mall. As I'm strolling through Macy's housewares department, a saleswoman turns to me unexpectedly.

"What happened to you?" she says.

For a split-second, I have no idea what she's talking about. What happened to me? When? Today?