You're Never Too Young For a Cane
I don't know
if you've had the same experience, but I remember as a child visiting my
grandparents in suburban Buffalo, NY. In the corner of their living room was a
tall decorative container with several canes and umbrellas. While I had never
seen them using the canes, I thought it was just part of being an old person;
perhaps they used them when we weren't around. I also remember thinking that I
hoped I'd never need one.
When I was eleven, I developed arthritis in my knees, hips and back. It was
never much of a problem through my teens and early twenties, but then middle age
hit and the aches and pains began to wear on me. In my stubbornness I refused to
try anything that would make life easier until a friend of mine surprised me
with a gift.
As a hobby this man would collect fallen tree branches and use them to create
wonderful walking sticks and canes. He gave away his creations free of charge to
those in need. I received mine on a beautiful spring Sunday morning. Out of
gratitude and politeness I began using it, thinking I could set it aside after a
few weeks and he wouldn't notice. But it made such a difference that I kept on
using it.
I was amazed how much this simple cane helped my balance, took some pressure off
a sore hip, and generally helped me to walk better. Heck, I even used it when
walking the dog to fend off the other mutts running loose in the neighborhood.
This same cane has helped be through vertigo, a torn tendon in my foot, any many
days of arthritis pain.
My pride kept me from this simple device for far too long. Why wouldn't I want
to use something that made walking easier? It's dumb, I know. Thank God for a
friend who saw a need and filled it with compassion.