Author
Writing Sample
Saturday In the Park
The air was warm and the sun was high, on this Saturday afternoon. I decided to get into a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt and take a book down to the park. Although a lot of other people had the same idea, I found a picnic table under an old elm tree just right for reading on. Kids were playing on the swings across the grass and a patchwork quilt of beach towels were filled with guys and girls in-between. I brought along a book I had started the night before, getting a few laughs from Rodney Dangerfield.
I really didn't get too far into the book, when a young girl and her mother came along. They were looking to squeeze one more beach towel down into the patchwork quilt on the grass. The girl turned and looked at me with a very perplex puzzle face. It's as if she'd never seen anyone like me before. The girl tugged at her mother, "Why does that guy look so funny?"
The mother turned and looked at me. By now I had stopped reading, knowing the girl was talking about me. The mother bent down and half-whispered, "He's like uncle Fred, he has a disability."
The girl still looked puzzled, "He doesn't have a wheelchair like uncle Fred."
"Some people don't need wheelchairs.", the mother replied.
The young girl continued her quest for answers, "But why is his arms like that?"
Even though they weren't looking directly at me anymore. I could see the frustration in both of their faces. I put my bookmark in the book and walked over to where they were standing. Some of the other people enjoying this sunny afternoon started to take an interest in what was going on.
I think I kind of startled the young girl when I walked up behind her. I looked at the mother, "Can I help?".
The mother looked relieved when she saw me standing there, "I hope so, my daughter is asking me why you look so different from her uncle Fred. Fred has Cerebral Palsy and is in a wheelchair. When she saw you, I guess she got confused."
I bent down a little and looked at the young girl, "What's your name?"
The girl looked up to her mother, who nodded at her, "Sarah."
In a couple of minutes, I was able to find out a little about her so I could tell her in a way she would understand about my disability.
"Do you remember listening to your mother's stomach before your little brother was born?"
She nodded with a little grin.
"You remember how much he moved around in there?"
"Yeah."
"Well, when I was little and inside my mother's stomach, for a short time I didn't move around. So, my joints got stiff. When I was born, the doctors weren't able to do anything. So, my arms only move so far. Does that make any sense to you?"
"Yeah," Sarah beamed, "Because your elbow is locked up you can't move your arms as well as I can."
"Right."
I spent a little more time with Sarah and her mother before I went back to read some more of my book. As I left I couldn't help but over hear Sarah say, "That's a nice man, mommy."
Because I took the time to talk to her, Sarah found out that there are many different ways people can be disabled; everything from getting hurt in an accident to being born with a disability. But no matter how it happens, each person wants the same thing; to be treated with the same respect that you would want yourself. Even Rodney Dangerfield needs a little respect now and then!
Copyright 1994, Bill Micklitz