Walking with the Stick
Months ago, I told you that my former step-father had made Lyn a walking stick to help her with her balance issues when she is out and about. When he had finished it and sent it to her, she refused to show it to me. All I knew was that she had requested a riot of colors and that she was keeping it in her room to keep it clean.
When it was suggested that she use it on the day trips to Santa Fe or around town with Mom, Lyn refused saying she preferred to hold onto Mom's shoulder. Mom went so far as to ask my step-father to speak with Lyn and encourage her to use the walking stick. He did. He talked about Mom getting older and that Mom might not be able to handle Lyn hanging onto her shoulder. He asked Lyn to promise to use it. She begrudgingly did and he thought the issue was solved. It wasn't. She stormed out of the room angry and still refused to use the cane.
Mom and I talked about this the night that my family arrived for our visit. We decided to apply a bit of peer pressure and enlisted the help of my husband to convince Lyn to use the stick. We assured her it could be cleaned. It was made for use, after all. We told her Mom may be too distracted corralling my little one that her shoulder may not be available. We also pointed out that the paths would be uneven and the stick would help her. Lyn eventually gave in and agreed to take it with us to Tinkertown the next morning.
We did not exaggerate or lie to her. As you can see from this picture of Tinkertown's entrance, the place is not your standard or well laid-out museum.
It has narrow paths in the building. The floors are uneven and patched used license plates. The lighting is poor and the construction is a hodgepodge of pieces cobbled together.
The cane was perfect. She was able to use it without a problem and she managed without once having to reach for Mom's shoulder. She didn't always let it touch the ground, sometimes carrying it a couple of inches above the ground. However, it was there when she needed it.
It is a beautiful cane made of hand turned dark wood with a tight grain. The handle is carved to look like a toucan's head. My step-father did a very good job on the cane. We kept insisting that Lyn use it with each trip we took during our week. Hopefully, she'll start to use it more.
When it was suggested that she use it on the day trips to Santa Fe or around town with Mom, Lyn refused saying she preferred to hold onto Mom's shoulder. Mom went so far as to ask my step-father to speak with Lyn and encourage her to use the walking stick. He did. He talked about Mom getting older and that Mom might not be able to handle Lyn hanging onto her shoulder. He asked Lyn to promise to use it. She begrudgingly did and he thought the issue was solved. It wasn't. She stormed out of the room angry and still refused to use the cane.
Mom and I talked about this the night that my family arrived for our visit. We decided to apply a bit of peer pressure and enlisted the help of my husband to convince Lyn to use the stick. We assured her it could be cleaned. It was made for use, after all. We told her Mom may be too distracted corralling my little one that her shoulder may not be available. We also pointed out that the paths would be uneven and the stick would help her. Lyn eventually gave in and agreed to take it with us to Tinkertown the next morning.
We did not exaggerate or lie to her. As you can see from this picture of Tinkertown's entrance, the place is not your standard or well laid-out museum.
It has narrow paths in the building. The floors are uneven and patched used license plates. The lighting is poor and the construction is a hodgepodge of pieces cobbled together.
The cane was perfect. She was able to use it without a problem and she managed without once having to reach for Mom's shoulder. She didn't always let it touch the ground, sometimes carrying it a couple of inches above the ground. However, it was there when she needed it.
It is a beautiful cane made of hand turned dark wood with a tight grain. The handle is carved to look like a toucan's head. My step-father did a very good job on the cane. We kept insisting that Lyn use it with each trip we took during our week. Hopefully, she'll start to use it more.
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