Conneaut Lake, PA is a small town and it brings a lot of summer visitors from the surrounding bigger cities like Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Its not surprising to go out and run into people that have spent the day drinking on the lake and they’re finishing the day off at the local tavern. Listen. If you’re in a wheelchair, you’re a prime target in this Environment. Only after a few minutes of being in the place, some guy walks up to me with a cigarette spitting smoke in his eye, while he holds his hands out with a beer in one of them and says take my hands. I thought he said, shake my hand. So I reached out. He stumbled while putting his beer on the bar and leaned in grabbing both of my hands. “If you believe you can walk you will.” So stand up he said. “I’ll help you.”
At this point I realize, he’s no neurosurgeon nor does he look much like a faith healer but don’t tell him that! It does you no good to argue with some people so committed to your health. And you can’t afford to risk it by letting them have their way. So I just gave him a nod and a pat on the side and said, “Hey I think the bartender is trying to take your beer.” And just kept moving.
