They Put the "Pig" in "Pigskin"
What people won't do to get out of walking an extra few yards:
The Los Angeles city attorney's office charged 14 UCLA football players for illegally obtaining handicapped parking placards. The applications were signed by non-existent doctors with fake medical license numbers and business addresses. A UCLA police officer questioned an able-bodied driver displaying one of the placards and then ran the football roster through the DMV records, finding 14 matches.
This is despicable on two counts. First, disabled citizens with real mobility problems have fought long to get access to public places. To have their access points taken up by the vehicles of those well able to run is a deep insult. Maureen McCloskey of the Paralyzed Veterans of America suggests that these insensitive louts should know what it's like to be in a wheelchair, unable to get out of a car or not able to climb the stairs.
Second, America is becoming a nation of couch potatoes who never walk a step more than they can drive. While we have conquered many communicable diseases, we are now suffering an epidemic of disease that could be prevented by an active lifestyle and healthy diet. Our athletes should be role models for an active lifestyle. They should park in the far corner of the lot, take the stairs, and never drive when they can run or walk. They should eat a healthy balanced diet to gain energy and strength rather than taking drugs and supplements.
I had to learn to walk again at age 14 after knee surgery. I spent 3 months on crutches and 3 years in regaining strength from nerve-damage complication so I could walk and hike without a limp. I know what it is like for a hallway to be too long to walk without a rest, a stairway to be an insurmountable challenge. It is a triumph to be able to walk anywhere I wish - for any distance, or climb any height of hills or stairs.
My day job is in a Veterans Affairs Nursing Skilled Care Unit where most of our veterans have mobility problems. Cherish your mobility. Build it whenever you can through walking, hiking, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Use it or lose it is the rule. When you lose your mobility, you can still have a full and rich life but you have lost a lot of independence and freedom. On the weekend I walk with many walkers in their 70's and 80's who are still going strong. I want to be one of them!
Be a role model to your co-workers, family and friends by walking instead of driving for those short trips, park out in the far corner of the lot where no other car doors will ding yours (my husband's choice!). Be the athlete whose healthy lifestyle is an example for others.
Net Links:
Pedestrian Activism Net Links
Walking as Good Medicine Net Links
