Please stop...

Dear World,

Please stop asking me to stand.

Sincerely,
Myrtle


Today, I went to fetch some groceries.  Just a week or so ago (the last prescription run), I remembered that deli meat is high in sodium and realized that would be good for me to eat.  I had some Oscar Meyer meat, but I wanted fresh sliced from the deli counter because that is ever so much more tasty.  I also have been waiting to buy some Yukon potatoes for a curry recipe and Wal-Mart did not have any the last two times I went, so I went to the real grocery store where there are more produce options.

At the deli counter, there were three customers and four staff.  However, one of the staff was ... puttering around.  As the wait dragged on and on, I sat down on the floor because I simply cannot stand for long.  But, boy, does my sitting on the floor make others uncomfortable.  Shoppers kept staring at me and staff came over to try and get me to stand.  Well, if there was an electronic shopping cart, I would have used it.  There was not.  So, I sat.  After 30 minutes, I gave up and left without my deli meat.  My fatigue was increasing and I had more groceries to fetch.

I posted about it on the Facebook support group and, much to my dismay, received comments more about why I should not sit rather than supporting me for doing what is needful to prevent fainting.


Get a cane with a seat

not sturdy enough for me

my weight is a bit too high for them

Get a walker with a seat

I don't maneuver well with them.

I don't want to lift one in and out of a shopping cart.

Bring a pad with you so you are not a dirty floor.

I don't want to have to carry yet another item.

Washing machines are great for cleaning dirty clothes.

I don't like to make others uncomfortable.

Why should my sitting on the floor make others uncomfortable?

I am not here to make others comfortable with my condition.

I don't like to stand out.

I no longer care about standing out.

I have more important things to care about.

Gosh!  I would have thought there would be some championing of my post.  I don't need to be fixed!  I am not so stupid as to have failed to consider other assistive walking devices.  Sitting on the floor is easiest for me!!

There are simply too many places in this world where one must wait on line without any thought about those who have difficulty standing.  At both the downtown venue and the college venue for the symphony, even though there are circular drives for drop-offs and even though the patronage is skewed toward the elderly and disabled, there is not one place to sit at either venue while waiting for the very long line of cars picking up folk to move along.  The next time you are out and about, think about how much standing you do between leaving your house and coming back home.

One person did suggest that we have a Dysautonomia Sit-In where folk can post selfies sitting on floors in solidarity.  I sort of liked that idea, even though I am not much into selfies.  

There is no shame in sitting on the floor.  There is no shame in the adjustments you have to make living with chronic illness.  There is no shame in being different from others.

Right???????????