One-Hour Traveler

 “Sat morning are we going for coffee in AC?”

…says a text from my brother Mark, at 9:45 on a Thursday night.

It’s short for “Will you meet me in Atlantic City on Saturday morning so I can drop off my car before a 65-mile bike ride on Sunday? That way I’ll be able to drive myself home afterward. Also, let’s leave early to beat the shore traffic. And yes, I’ll buy you a coffee.”

I know what he means. We do it every year.

And yet, the idea rattles me. I’m caught between anticipation for our small tradition and apprehension over giving up my morning routine.

Yes, even for one day...

Time Flies

Air travel makes time do weird things.

Like always, I arrive at the airport early — even though this is Vermont, and the airport has only 13 gates. After a quick trip to celebrate my niece’s birthday, it’s time to head home.

For an amputee like me, everything takes more time: going through security, stopping at the restroom, adjusting my prosthetic, stowing my crutches in the overhead bin, and folding my leg into the airplane seat which — despite being labeled as “extra leg room” — does not seem spacious at all.

By the time we’re ready to take-off, it’s hard to believe I’m still where I started...

Nick's Pick

“Get ready for Nick’s pick!” my dad would announce from the driver’s seat.

We were zooming down the Pennsylvania Turnpike toward our cousins’ house: Mom in the front with Dad, Andy in the carseat, and Mark and I on either side of him in the back.

Outside our windows, a blur of trees, smear of guard rail, and long, flat building raced by.

We all squinted, waiting for what came next...

iLost, iFound, i('ll) Keep Walking

In the Rijksmuseum of Amsterdam, I reach for my water bottle and realize my entire backpack is missing.

My stomach drops, and my mouth becomes immediately, completely, excrutiatingly dry. My mind races thorough the contents of the bag, all of which are now LOST...

Progress Isn't Pass/Fail

Hello from Mile Marker 14,432...

It's been a while, I know.  So how to restart??

One, two, three, GO!

That's how I get out the door these days.

You have to start somewhere.  And otherwise, I'll sit there for hours, trying to get my socket "just right."  

Lately, there is no "just right."  There's only better and worse.  (At least prosthetically-speaking...)

Fifteen Years

Overheard at Mile 14,140...

 "Fifteen years, and I still can't get my leg on." 

Mark laughs.  My brother is standing by his car, parked in the temporary spot outside my building.  

It's 8 PM on November 8.  

I was joking, but it's true.  My prosthesis is not quite on...

Memento Vivere

 A haunted hello from Mile 14,078...

...where a good-leg day meets a pain in the neck!

(That's a vampire joke!)

Remember Rainbow?

Well, she's 16 now, and while she's darkened her outerwear, she's still as colorful as ever on the inside.  

She's also old enough to do her own "googling," so she's been obsessed with visiting Vampa, the Vampire and Paranormal Museum in Doylestown, PA, about an hour north of Philly.

I'd been dragging my feet -- prosthetic and real -- because of the hassle of getting there... 

The Undercover Lives of My Favorite Baristas

Hello from --

-- I'm not sure what mile it is!

Life has been busy lately -- bursting at its seams.  I haven't had time to total my mileage.

But I learned, way back at Mile 30, that when feelings get too big, it's best to think small.  (And a little bacon goes a long way, but that's another story!)

Bacon aside, I'm grateful for my morning walk.  

If you're new here, a morning walk is nothing heroic...  

Bright Umbrellas in the Rain

A rainy wave from Mile Marker 13,898...

I get home from work exhausted, just as the rain begins.

I drop my lunchbag in the kitchen, my backpack on the dining room chair.  

I limp into the bedroom.  Contemplate lowering the shades.  The sky is dark already.  Can the neighbors see in?  But I'm too tired even to make that decision...

Expect the Unexpected

Hello from Mile 13,890 at Jefferson University!

After sharing my story with these wonderful first-year medical students, the unexpected happened.

I almost fell.

Almost -- because a quick-thinking young woman in a brand-new white coat stepped in and caught me...

Capturing A Moment in Time

The desire to capture a moment in time has always been part of my nature...

So began my college essay, typed on a typewriter, back when there was no such thing as a Universal App, only blanks to fill in on dozens of pages, carefully unstapled and imperfectly aligned under the paper bail.  

(I looked it up -- that's the name of that silver roller bar!)

My dad photocopied the applications at his office so I could do rough drafts.  Because once you started typing, the pressure was on.  There was no going back.

Greetings from 1987, where everything was analog...  

Jar of Stones

Greetings from the Schuylkill Expressway.  

At Mile 13,810, I've never been happier to be speeding toward that Philadelphia skyline.

It's been a tough travel weekend.

I could show you the highlight reel...

A Postcard from Above

 Happy 4th from Mile 13,790... 

... 3 stories up!

A couple passes on the sidewalk below.

My friends and I call them "The Nines."

They're in freshly-pressed whites -- she, a collared dress; he, a tee with dark jeans -- and matching straw hats.  They look good, as always.

Dressed to the.... 

Sunflowers

Hello from Mile Marker 13,772 at Substack!

I feel like a stranger in a strange land here, but lucky for me, I've got a wondeful guide.  Fellow writer Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer has a beautiful Substack called Journey with the Seasons, and she asked me if I'd write a guest post.

At her Summer Solstice Writing Circle last week, a 4-minute prompt planted the seed for this story.  I'm so grateful to share it with you.

Some walks shine brighter with time.  To me, this is one of them.  

Just click on the sunflowers below. :)

Thanks for walking (and reading) with me!
Rebecca

Read on Substack

Adaptive Travel Tip: Take a friend

I used to travel solo.

Now I rarely travel on my own.

This might be the biggest change to my travel habits since acquiring my disability...

Adaptive Travel Tip: Consider cultures close to home

You don't have to go far.

On my "Alive Day" each year, I like to focus on being present and grateful for... well, being alive.

I always want to do something special and out of the ordinary, but that's a bittersweet time of year for me, and often my energy is in short supply.

So where do you go when you're feeling drained -- and only have a few hours? ...

Adaptive Travel Tip: Choose "right-size" adventures

Travel isn't one-size-fits-all.

I don't know about you, but travel pushes my body into overload.

I walk more than usual, eat different foods, get less rest, carry more than my share of emergency supplies (see this tip!), and -- like even the most able-bodied traveler -- face weather and time changes.

Keeping pace, while keeping my body on an even keel, can be challenging!

Luckily, travel comes in many sizes...

Adaptive Travel Tip: Use trekking poles... sometimes!

Ability and disability can vary day-to-day and moment-to-moment.  

So using an assistive device isn't an "all or nothing" decision...

Adaptive Travel Tip: Ask about discounts

"If you don't ask, the answer is definitely no."

So says my good friend Elaine.

Back in February 2023, at New York City's MoMA, we put it to the test....

Adaptive Travel Tip: What's your best time of day?

Identify your best time of day -- and savor it.

Good morning?  Or good night?

With an amputation and chronic health issues, I get frustrated by the unpredictable nature of my body. 

It's taken me 14 years (and lots of good therapy!) to realize...

I don't just move through the world differently than able-bodied people.  

I move through TIME differently...