Rolling with Sarah

Some people love snow. It is beautiful, I get that. I however, am not one of those people. Let me tell you why. I actually find snow, especially heavy snow, quite depressing. To me, it means a loss of independence. I can’t go outside and push myself. First of all, the wheels fill up with so much snow they get to the point that they barely more. Second of all, they become cold and wet, and even if I have gloves or mitts on they are soaked through in a second. Thirdly, everywhere I go needs to be shovels or plowed, and often areas like curb cuts aren’t properly maintained. Because of this, when it snows it means I have to either stay in the house like a hermit, or completely rely on other people to get me where I need to go. I know it isn’t true, but this makes me feel like a burden. Like an extra chore for my family. This is quite frustrating. Seasonal depression is real and for me heavy snow just exasperates it. Often I am quite a positive person but when I am stuck like this feelings like “why me” and “I wish I wasn’t disabled” and “I hate my wheelchair” come to the surface. Unfortunately disability isn’t something you can just switch on and off so I have to learn to cope with these feelings. Just remember in the snowy weather what it might mean for your friends who are in a similar situation to mine and consider how they are feeling. Try to think of ways to be inclusive to everyone.