Mr McGoo Goes Grocery Shopping

On the way home with the week’s groceries, I have to negotiate my own street with a series of moves that must appear very comical to passersby. At the location of each or the pairs of utility poles from Fenton to Chicago, the surrounding panels have been temporarily patched with asphalt. I can only assume that this will be the case until the communications lines have been moved to the new poles, and the old poles have been removed.








In the meantime – more than seven months now, I have to do my little dance to get through. I think it looks a little like the Tango, but that is probably just wishful thinking on my part.

The moves go like this; First, I turn the cart backwards so that I can drag it over the soft asphalt without stricking the wheels and dumping out the groceries. After that, I tip and turn the cart to the forward position so that I can steer to the next patch and repeat the process – seven times. I can maneuver these locations OK because I am strong and practiced at it. I know how to handle the obstruction and get over it safely. I cope – not with my own disability, but with the poor infrastructure and the disinterest of others.Should these locations be better treated to prevent me from looking silly? Of Course not. There are thousands out there who, like me, walk for a living. Many of them aren’t as strong as I am. Many of them don’t have the voice that I have. How do they cope?

Complete the streets!