Author: Sheri Denkensohn-Trott
After a busy fall getting ready to move, moving, unpacking most everything, and developing a new routine, we needed a break. I can’t necessarily say it was a total break, but December brought holidays and lots of visiting with family. I made a concerted effort to rest, read, and do things to restore and refresh.
Right now, I’m fighting the winter blues. We went through an extremely cold spell, and that made it hard to go out and do anything. It takes a significant amount of time to put on a coat and all the layers make it hard to move. I can cover my hands to some extent, but I need most of my right hand free so I can drive my wheelchair. Not the safest for my extremities to be exposed. Then, after little to no snow in Virginia for many years, we got a storm that brought about 6 inches. While that is not large for someone from the 
Northeast like me, here it creates significant disruption. The schools closed for days, and the cleanup was lacking. There is plowing on the main roads, but the curb cuts are blocked with snow that becomes slush and ice as they melt. Not especially conducive for rolling around the neighborhood. To top it off, the automatic door on our van had some problems and needed a new part that took time to arrive. As a result, I limited usage until it was fixed. Everything combined made me feel housebound.
I know that I am not alone. Winter takes a toll on everyone, especially
individuals with disabilities. I’m trying to make the best of it. I make sure to go outside on a “warmer” day, work on indoor projects, exercise to keep up my endorphins, and enjoy the plant on my desk as a reminder that in the not-so-distant future there will be blooms outside.
nearly any situation. For example, yesterday as I was getting lunch, I needed something to drink and I felt like having some soda, but it was somewhere in the refrigerator that I could not reach, I could, however, reach the faucet, so I just had some water with lunch. Drinking water is probably better for me anyway!
and bring new things. There is nothing wrong with that. But I don’t like that it is imposed.
My view is that it’s a good time for reflection. It’s always a good time to reflect on what I like about my life. What can I change? What is in my control and what isn’t? These are all good questions to ask. Certainly, we are all capable of making improvements and trying new things. Some of the new year will bring obstacles that we can’t even conceive of and great surprises; some good, some bad. That is the beauty of life, not knowing.
