Columnists
Chance encounters
Sitting beside a woman named Irene, we struck up a conversation. She had been one of the first to purchase a condo at The Villas of Quinte Gardens some 16 years prior, moving from a big house in Prince Edward County. This was a similar scenario to what my mom did six years ago. We were at a “street party” in the condo complex where the owners of all 16 units gathered for food and conversation. I was there with Mom.
Irene knew me from Community Care. She was a Thrift Shop volunteer when she lived in Picton. As often happens the chat turned to coping with aging, which prompted her to tell me about being run into by a big truck as she walked home from the library. She had the “walk” icon at the stoplight, but the driver didn’t see her and she didn’t see him. She was hit and knocked down with the tires narrowly missing her head and stopping just short of fully crushing her foot. An active woman, she set about rehab and recovery from the injury getting most of her mobility back.
She was very matter of fact and practical when describing the walker she used during this time. She said “you’d be surprised how nice people are to you when you’re using a walker”. She no longer needs it to get around, but when going to the grocery store about two blocks away she takes it so the grocery bags can be carried easily.
I told her how often I hear people say they won’t use a cane or walker due to pride. If they only knew how nice people would be when they’re using a walker!
My work often means I meet people wherever I go, and find a connection. A few years ago at a RV Rally, I met a woman from Elliott Lake who worked with a colleague I knew well. This spring on our trip to Winnipeg, there she was again at a park in Sudbury.
On the return leg of that trip our server at a restaurant in Sault Ste. Marie identified herself to us. I taught her in Sunday School for years—and her mom worked at Community Care, too.
These encounters makes me wonder about how such things happen and the timing involved. Maybe one just needs to be open to them. I remember hearing my dad, Ron MacDonald, say “I didn’t see anyone I knew today”. He would spend hours drinking coffee in a mall food court (anywhere in Canada or the US) and always expected to see someone he knew— often he did, too.
Any road trip we took as a family, Dad would take the phone book in the hotel and look up a friend he knew in that city. Then he’d start calling people until he found the person he knew. Meeting for coffee would result. This was way before the Internet, which made it much easier to find friends from the past.
My wish for you is that you, too, enjoy these chance encounters and the conversations that result. From this column, consider how nice people are if you’re using a walker. If you need to “use the gear” to stay active, then set pride aside and do it.
Debbie MacDonald Moynes is Executive Director of The Prince Edward County Community Care for Seniors Association.
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