The Frazzled Cashier

Photo by Getty Images

In line at the checkout I could tell that the cashier was a little frazzled as she wrestled with the register and chatted up the ladies in from of me. The elder one asked if she could help me unload my cart onto the belt. She said she was bored and fidgety and it would save her sanity. I giggled and said sure. When they were rung up the tape on the register messed up and I could see panic on the cashier's face. It was a crowded Saturday afternoon at the first of the month and I was feeling for her.

The ladies in front of me left and it was my turn to check out. The cashier said "I thought you were with them." I said. "Nope, flying solo these days. How are you?" She said "I been better, I'm not liking 2016 yet. How are you?" I said, "I'm great!" I gave her a smile and she said, "If YOU are doing great then I have no right to complain." I raised an eyebrow and continued to smile as her words caught up with her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like..." Her words trailed off and I said, "You know what? Let me put this in perspective for you. You are here for 8 to 10 hours standing on your feet and feeling the strain in your feet and your back. I am here for two hours and I'm pushing a button on a wheelchair. It's ok for you to have a worse day than me. Even if I could change my situation, I wouldn't. You know why?" She said "Why?" I said, "Because then there would be no reason to have conversations like this one." She smiled as she finished ringing me up looking at me a little confused and I told her I hoped her day got better and left hoping it did.

Every time I go I encounter situations like this one. I can almost hear the inspiration porn haters saying, "Etha! They don't need to be all up in your business, you have the right to go shopping without having anyone point out your disabilities and invade your space!" I have a few days where I don't want the attention, but I do and most of the time I enjoy the interaction unless someone tries to physically handle me without my permission then there is a fight. The way I see it, if me enjoying my life overcoming physical challenges makes me a "Inspiration porn star," then so be it. Let it give somebody courage and hope. The world needs more of that.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Trails and Trials of a Wheelchair Photographer

Image
Of all the terrains I have been on this one looks fairly simple. I rarely challenge my scooter's mobility when I am on a solo shoot. I am comfortable with pavement and shallow gravel and trails through low cut grass. I did recently get into a situation that was a steep incline and of all of my concerns I never thought that a stall on a steep hill would happen. Especially with well charged batteries. That is exactly what happened. I almost topped a  steep incline, not much higher than the one pictured here and right before reaching the top my scooter stalled and stopped. Having a fear of heights I was determined not to look back the very long slowly rising incline. I pulled my key out and pushed it back in to try to restart it but nothing. The circuit had been thrown and the button I needed to reset it was out of reach from my position. This is typically when anger and fear ultimately kick in. I got my cellphone and called my husband. While I was waiting I cursed under my breath
Read more

VR Lens for the Wheelchair Photographer

Image
I was recently asked by one of my “Twitter Mates,” if I would write a little something on what it is like to be a wheelchair photographer. I of course am very happy to oblige. I want to talk a little bit about the equipment that I have and why I chose it. I own a Nikon D50 digital SLR, and two lenses. One lens is the standard 28-80mm lens for close range shooting, like headshots, or focusing on a specific object. The other lens is a 55-200mm VR. VR stands for vibration reduction and vibration reduction is a disabled person’s friend! I don’t have cerebral palsy but I do have many of the same characteristics such as spasticity in the muscles that can cause a little bit of a tremor. I really didn’t realize how much I did it until I started taking pictures. Holding a steady shooting position can be a challenge for any photographer sometimes and the VR feature helps reduce movement. It also helps the lens shoot sharper pictures under lower light. Optical zoom is also a friend to the wheelc
Read more

Neglected but NOT Abandoned

Image
Park Bench Secrets by Etha Walters First post of the New Year and I of course have many resolutions to achieve in 2011 which included a new commitment to my blogs. 2010 was a tuff year with financial hardships that resulted in having to sell some of my photography equipment just to get by. There was also an assault on my daughter that changed her life and ours. So we were glad to see the promise of change in a new year. In November, I started working at JC Penny. I am working as a greeter. It is a far cry from my profession and I had to choke down some pride in regards to stereo-types, but I am really glad that I did. The people that I work with are amazing, it is like entering a close nit family and I was a long lost cousin. The customers are awesome too. Every day I talk to someone new and I get something out of every conversation. I get told stories, jokes and people share little pieces of their life with me. I find myself feeling very blessed and inspired, creating photographs
Read more