4 types of people I met during my time in a wheelchair

4 types of people I met during my time in a wheelchair

A while back I was having quite a bit of knee trouble and it was hard to get around. I fly a lot for my work and so I needed to rely on airport assistance for a couple of trips.

 

Basically, you get put into a wheelchair, or on to a buggy and are zipped through passport control and security at top speed with minimum inconvenience. Unless you feel being delivered like a package to your plane counts as an inconvenience.

Like most of us, I value my independence and was not too keen on having to ask for help. Added to that was the worry that this temporary situation might turn out to be longer lasting than I wanted. All in all, it was a vulnerable time.

Meeting the people whose job is as to provide me with assistance was an eye opener. I came to sort them into one of four groups.

  1. The young people who don’t relate to what is going on with you.

These are generally young people on the first rung of the ladder who just wants to get the job done. They absolutely do not want to spend their time imagining what it must be like to spend any time at all in a wheel chair. It has nothing to do with them and the prospect seems too remote from their own experience.

With this group you just feel vaguely irrelevant.

 

  1. The more experienced worker who has been assigned to airport assistance temporarily and is enjoying the novelty.

At one point, I spent the half an hour waiting for my gate to come up and my ‘carer’ had to wait with me. She spent the time telling me about the problems she was having with another member of staff making unwanted advances to her. There was an underlying subtle message that  I was expected to give back something for the privilege of being driven around the airport. My assistance provider had a captive audience and wanted to make the most of it. I played my part and did my best to listen and give whatever advice I could.

At least I felt like a human being, even if one that was supposed to work for their care.

  1. The expert carer with pride in their work.

Make no mistake, once you sit in the wheelchair you are a captive audience for whatever comes to you. One of my most unnerving encounters was with an airport assistance person who actually took immense pride in his work and tried his very best to give top quality support.

He explained that he preferred to do without the lifts and pulleys that can be used to get people on and off planes and resort to the strength of his own arms.  This sounds good but it meant that as we transferred to the airport bus to take us from the ‘plane to the terminal, he tipped my wheelchair almost on its back to get me on to the bus—without using the lift.

At one point I felt quite worried. I could imagine him lifting me bodily into the car that my friend had waiting for me at the airport. In spite of his enthusiasm, or perhaps because of it, I felt like a project rather than a person.

  1. The over-concerned

I have met people so solicitous of my feelings that I have felt concerned to reassure them that I am all right and do not expect to have to do this procedure more than a few times.

In some ways, this was the  most difficult group to handle. They were so sorry for me and so anxious to get things right. I felt burdened by their concern.

What did I learn from my wheelchair experience?

Overall, the whole experience touched me very much in seeing how natural it is for us to wish to help others. Everyone who helped me as part of this service was kind and polite and many have done more than was asked of them. Happily, I did just need the help for a limited period of time, but it has changed the way I look at other people in similar situations. I hope I can see a bit more deeply.

The main thing that I learnt was  that wanting to be a help is not enough. To really help, with no fuss, you need to have the extraordinary skill of being able to put yourself in another person’s shoes—or in this case, wheelchair. It is possible to tell instinctively if someone has cared for a friend or relative with mobility problems because they know how to do this.  People with this experience know you have to drop you own ideas of how you think the job needs to be done.  Instead you try to  imagine what you would need if you were in that position. It’s not easy but those who can do it stand out a mile from the rest.

Mindfulness training

It’s a pity that the people who do this work do not receive some basic training on mindfulness and empathy skills. They give so much already it would be great for them to have support to know how to do it even more effectively.

Photo by AbsolutVision on Unsplash

How to Fund an Alternative Lifestyle

How to Fund an Alternative Lifestyle

Photo by mali maeder from Pexels

I am delighted to include a guest blog from Bhavna Kapoor Vaish. Bhavna worked in finance and banking and has a strong interest in mindfulness and meditation. She was the perfect person to ask to write something on how to manage your finances when you don’t want to have a 9 to 5 job. Enjoy the post!

Ever dreamt of backpacking around the world or about living your life on a boat? If you have, you wouldn’t be alone. I can bet that one of the biggest obstacles to living the life of your dreams is money. How are you going to fund it?

Your unconventional lifestyle does not come for free. Chances are you still have to earn your living.

But will your alternate lifestyle let you do that? How can you make money sitting on your boat or exploring the remote parts of this world?

The good news is that there are plenty of ways to earn money that will align with your atypical lifestyle. But before we examine these opportunities, let us first understand what an alternate lifestyle really is.

What Is An Alternative Lifestyle

An alternative lifestyle is a way of living when you do not have a typical mainstream job. You do not earn your living from a 9-5 corporate job. Wikipedia defines alternative lifestyle as  “a lifestyle diverse in respect to mainstream ones, or generally perceived to be outside the cultural norm.”

It is a lifestyle you wish to embrace because it frees you from the status quo you find yourself in currently. You want to spend your life travelling and exploring cultures. You love an RV life or want to backpack around the world. Or you have identified your purpose in life.

Read More: Being Purposeful: Achieving The Life You Envision

Often it is a life you choose and sometimes it may be a result of circumstances. It could be a result of your health or economic conditions. You are no longer able to work at a typical job and are looking for an alternative.

Whether it a choice you make or the result of the conditions you find yourself in, this is your reality and you have to make it work.

Let us face it. Now your biggest hurdle is money. Especially if you haven’t saved money or if your savings aren’t enough to last a lifetime.

In any case, as adults, we need to be able to make money.

Do you find yourself daunted by the idea of how to finance your lifestyle?

There are tonnes of ways to make money that go beyond the mainstream. Making money through these methods can help reduce your stress, prevent you from digging into your saving or retirement fund and help you feel satisfied.

Unconventional Ways to Make Money To Support Your Alternative Lifestyle

Here are some ways you can make money working from home or a remote jungle:

Transcription:

There are many freelancing sites online that offer to pay you money to transcribe an audio or video file for them. The payment rates offered are per hour of the file to be transcribed. While these companies may not pay much, your earnings do improve as you become better. And no skill is required to get started.

Writing Articles:

Most websites and businesses need top-notch articles to promote their services or to bring in more traffic. These jobs can be found via freelance websites like Upwork, Freelancer and Fiverr. You can also try submitting your articles to publications who pay better rates.

Proofreading:

If you find yourself correcting common writing errors and still remember the grammar rules you learned in school then try proofreading for a living. Many bloggers write their own articles but like to have a proofreader go through their work before they publish it. Law firms, authors and businesses offer similar opportunities. Becoming a court transcripts proofreader requires higher standards but it also pays better.

Become a Virtual Assistant:

As more and more people work as entrepreneurs from their own homes they are in need of people who can help them with tasks. The demand for virtual assistants is rising.

A virtual assistant’s tasks may include social media management, formatting and editing content, scheduling travel, or managing emails.

Doing Surveys Online:

Answering survey is a quick way to earn some money. While these may not add up to a lot, they are an easy and fast method to earn a little extra.

Sell on Amazon:

There are many, many people who sell items on the world’s largest retailer and earn money from home. If you are thinking that you do not know how to sell on Amazon, then there are courses available for that, even free ones. You can easily search for these online. These courses will even help you choose what products to sell.

Teach English (or other languages and subjects):

Did you know that you may be able to teach English online to children around the world to earn money?

VIPKID is an online teaching and educational company which has over 500,000 paying students located in 63 countries. They do have certain minimum requirements for their teachers.

Write a book:

If you have a story to tell or have a skill that will be useful to other people, think about writing a book. This is a great way to earn a regular income. Books are a great way to earn passive income. Once the book is written and published, you will keep earning money each time you make a sale.

There are many free and paid courses and other articles available online to help you write, publish and sell your book.

Teach a skill:

Is there something you know well that others may want to pay you to teach them? This could be anything from gardening, photography, outdoor survival skills, an instrument, fitness and personal training, a sport. Use your local listings to search or list your self. Teachable is an online platform that lets you create and sell your own course and get paid for it.

Rent stuff:

Got extra space, an unused room, an empty garage or a parking spot. Think about renting these out to earn extra bucks. Going away for a few months? Convert your home to an Airbnb.

Apart from earning money, you could look at ways to reduce costs. Here are easy ways to save money from your monthly budget without impacting your standard of living

These are just some of the ideas that you can use to earn money to fund an alternative life. Before I sign off, I would like to thank Maureen, the owner of this site for allowing me the opportunity to write for her blog. If you are interested in discovering more ways to fund your lifestyle or to earn money while you follow your passion? Follow my Pinterest Board where I curate useful articles, tips and ideas from across the web.

Bhavna Vaish is a blogger who loves the world of finance. She writes about being wise with your money so you can live a life you love on a budget you can afford.  Her blog Pennies For Cents has more useful articles for you. She has been a banker and a finance professional for many years before choosing early retirement.

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