[=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=] | |
[<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>] | |
[=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=] | |
Stardate: 20230805.0635 | |
Location: Guest room | |
Input Device: Gemini PDA | |
Audio: quiet, owl hooting outside and are not what they seem. | |
Visual: Casted leg propped up on pillows | |
Emotional: lost | |
[=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=] | |
I feel like I am broken. On the surface I might seem ok but under- | |
neath, it feels like something is seriously wrong here, mission | |
control. There is now a cast on my leg where I tore my achilles, | |
which has further impeded my mobility. This injury has put the | |
brakes on, or even halted many things that could be going on had it | |
not manifested. I think this was not happenstance, rather, this | |
needed to happen. My trajectory has not been sustainable, | |
Recently, I have been reacquainted with an old chair. It is a chair | |
that I was gifted by my friend, Sandy, when he was moving out of his | |
studio, almost 30 years ago (I feel so old now.) The chair is old, | |
metal, and heavy for its size. Not sure how old it really is, but it | |
was made during a time when things were built to last and made to be | |
repaired by the owner of the chair with common parts found at a local | |
hardware store. Over the years I have replaced various parts, even | |
re-riveting a couple broken rivets on the hinge that attaches the | |
back of the chair to the back post and also adding a tie-on seat | |
cushion since the original chair padding has long since flattened | |
over the course of use and time. | |
This chair has supported me for many, many hours in front of my | |
computers and was my main computer chair for many years. It was | |
replaced by a chair that I made from the driver's seat of my old Honda | |
mounted on the base of a recent repurposed "disposible" office chair | |
that you can commonly find discarded curbside on trash day. The old | |
chair became a secondary chair for anybody who would wish to sit | |
along-side the operator working his craft. | |
Recently, this heavy old chair has become very useful again. As | |
mentioned earlier, my leg has been outfitted with a cast. It has | |
been challenging navigating around my home with the Tiny Tims | |
(crutches) and can be very tiring. Enter the chair. I have dis- | |
covered that the chair is the perfect height for me to rest the | |
knee of my casted leg while I hold onto the back post and push off | |
with my better leg. (The chair has a wheeled base.) This allows | |
for a better effort to distance ratio, as well as increased effort | |
duration in comparison to the Tiny Tims. Also, when I get tired of | |
that, I can sit in the chair and scoot slowly or just have a rest. | |
Another thing I observed is that the chair has a low center of gravity | |
since it has a heavy metal base. This prevents the chair from | |
toppling over and provides a sturdy foundation. Unfortunately, due | |
to the width of the base, I kept banging my better ankle and foot | |
against the heavy metal base when navigating, so additional footwear | |
is a good idea. | |
I am grateful to have this old chair and for discovering a new | |
purpose for it to serve me today. It has served me well over the | |
decades (eek!) and I look forward to its service in the days ahead. | |
Old chair, you matter! | |
[=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=] |