Day 3 - Dystonia and Umbrellas

One thing (of many, I can assure you!) I never thought about before dystonia became a part of my life, was the fact that it is very, very difficult to walk with a walker and hold an umbrella. It's not something that just comes to mind like "Oh wow, if I ever had to walk with a walker, how would I also manage holding an umbrella?" No one ever thinks like that :) Or, at least, I never thought like that! But it's one of the many "obstacles" I've had to figure out since having to use a walker. To say I have it figured out, well, that would be lying. I don't. In fact, I gave up on it altogether. But when I was in college (pre-dystonia), I had an awesome umbrella. It was dubbed "Austin Powers" for its wacky and bright colors and design. It was the perfect umbrella for a college kid, because in a sea of black umbrellas dumped at the door of the cafeteria, "Austin Powers" was super easy to spot. I loved that umbrella! On a wet day it kept me dry and its colors brightened my spirits. When dystonia set in, I had no clue that something as simple as carrying an umbrella would become such a task! It never even crossed my mind that one couldn't hold an umbrella and walk with a walker at the same time, but let me tell you -it takes talent and coordination to do this, neither of which I have (hence the need to walk with a walker!). I soon realized, I was left in quite a conundrum. It was either use the walker and get wet or use the umbrella and fall. So, "Austin Powers" had to be retired. It was a sad day. He was a good umbrella, a loyal and faithful friend, but he was just too dangerous for me to use any more. We'd been through so much - four years of college and several years in the working world. He even got lost once in Ohio, but my best friend found him and gave him back to me as a Christmas present. We had a good run. He served me well. And I'll always have the memories and a picture of him for posterities sake:

So now, I use a much safer, reliable and boring raincoat (with a hood, because a raincoat with no hood defeats the purpose - at least in my mind!). Yes, I guess rain coats can be fun too, but for me, not quite as fun as my "Austin Powers" umbrella! Oh the memories!! :)