All the things you do differently when disabled

This post, like others that will follow it, is a continuation of my Gambling On Life series.

Disability brings with it a lot of changes, depending on your disability. You may get handicapped plates or placard (I actually went this route fucking finally, and I am so much happier for it), start using a chair in the shower, or forgo activities that you used to enjoy because you're no longer able to do them.

What most folks may not realize is the sheer number of seemingly fucking tiny changes you make in your day to day life.. And I'm going to go through a small handful of my own, just to showcase this fact.

I prioritize convenience of search alongside likely locations of lost items. Jess - my GF - loses shit constantly.. And I'm usually the one to find whatever it is she has lost. Before, I'd always check the most likely places first.. But now, crawling on the floor to check under the bed is fucking hard, so I start with locations that may not be quite as likely, but are easier to search first.

I adjusted my grooming habits to compensate for limited mobility, pain, and endurance. I'll probably write something else directly related to this, but.. I recently shaved my head, and started growing out my beard. For now I'm just using a regular 5-blade razor on the scalp, and I shave every 36 to 48 hours.. And that timeframe may seem odd, but it's because I'm doing 2 things: One, I'm making sure I do it when Jess is home and awake so she can help me check for cuts (immunosuppressants make infection likely) and bandage them up if-necessary. Two, I'm also working towards timing it to when I'll be able to stand at the sink for the duration (as that's not always guaranteed). As an aside, before, I'd never go clean-shaven; I'd always once a week run a beard trimmer over my face and rock the vacation beard, but now I'm growing the beard out to compensate for the lack of hair on my head.

I use specific ingredients and processes to make sandwiches. If I'm making a deli-sandwich, I buy pre-packaged deli meats that I find easier to separate out. I buy sliced cheese that has thin paper sheets between each to make pulling them out easier, rather than individually wrapped slices that are harder to open. I buy roma tomatoes because they are easier to grip and slice, and are less wasteful for me if I don't use them for a day or two after slicing. I prefer hard plastic containers of greens over bags because they are easier to open and close back up. I also buy half-loaves of bread, just because I tend to waste less that way.

I'm less concerned about using disposables in the kitchen. Doing the dishes is fucking hard, and even with a dishwasher machine there's still extra work.. And the likelihood of me dropping and breaking shit. While I try to be green, there is a fucking limit to the suffering I'll willingly endure. Oh, and I usually use k-cups for my coffee (although I try to pick up biodegradeable ones when I can).

If I'm running errands I consider proximity and mobility to determine my stops. I fucking hate Wal-Mart, but if I am in a double-plus-un-good state I will grit my teeth while I ride the mobility scooter throughout the store in order to reduce the number of places I have to go and the amount of on-foot travelling I have to do. As well, I prefer to go shopping when it's less busy, as I'm less likely to get knocked over or forced to stand for an extended period of time.

I make use of both voice recorders and note-taking apps. Being in pain 24/7 means you get distracted easily.. And if that pain is elevated, I'm even more likely to forget shit. So, I type shit out into a note taking app, or I use a voice recorder if typing just isn't fucking happening.. And pen and paper? Yeah, that shit only gets used in the rarest of rare circumstances, because gripping a goddamned pen fucking hurts.

This is only a small sampling of the countless ways I've changed how I do things as a disabled person.. So keep this in mind the next time you question why someone does things a certain way: Maybe they have a reason.