Book-crowds

( Place on page 312, after para 1  starting with "Here I am.." )

Nowadays, I still get a lot of stares ( that will never change) but I'm used to it and allow the stares to roll off my back. What I'm most fearful of now is a big crowd. Not that I have Agoraphobia; I fear people bumping into my legs. I'm frequently on guard at ballgames, concerts, festivals, or wherever large crowds gather. Not that someone would intentionally run into me. But there is always a risk of someone accidentally crashing into my chair, or, more specifically, my unprotected legs.

I can never forget that most people are up way higher than I am, and they sometimes don't bother to look below. It can get pretty dangerous if you get swallowed up in a hoard of people, with no way out and the inability to see who or what is coming toward you. Unless you are familiar with the terrain ahead, you may be heading for steps, cracks or other obstacles which you can't avoid on a split-seconds' notice.

For instance, people often  tend to text or talk on their cell phones  without looking ahead. It's up to me to avoid potential crashes. Frequently, people back-up without checking behind themselves. More than once I have had people almost fall into my lap. They are generally nice and say "Sorry." There's no way they would know I have brittle bones. And I'm not going to start wearing a sign around my neck that reads in bold, neon letters "Fragile!"

The swarms generally aren't as bad going to an event. Everyone is usually going the same way. Getting out of a venue is a different story. That's when crowds sometimes "buck the traffic" and cross in front, darting by my eye-level like deer in headlights. It's funny how some folks seem to think that risking their own safety * and mine)  by suddenly veering into my path will save them like, a second or two , to beat the traffic.

I want to attend major concerts, or go to the mall on Black Friday, or  see a World Series or Championship Game in person, just like anyone else. I don't want to stay home or isolate myself, just because I'm afraid of what "might" happen.  So, if I do want to brave the elements and the crowds, I've learned a few tips to save myself an accident (since I don't have wheelchair insurance):

 1) Try to stay on the right hand side as much as you can. That way, traffic only flows to your left.
 2) Use a bodyguard, if possible. If you are with someone, see if they will walk just ahead of the wheelchair, to catch potential accidents before they happen. Just make sure you don't leave tire tracks on your bodyguards' back if they happen to make a sudden stop.
 3) Take the nearest exit out of the venue as soon as possible (unless the weather is bad or you hate to push farther). That way, even if the parking lot is on the other side of the building, you are going in the same direction with the flow of the crowd.
 4) Leave a little early or wait til the crowd thins out and leave late. Sometimes this can't be helped.I never want to leave a ballgame before the end- you never know what you will miss and forever regret missing  a dramatic comeback. Or, the ushers kick you out of the venue so they can clean up.
5) Get a horn. It may be stupid but honk  like hell if you have to.  Better safe than sorry.