Is it a Walker or a Stroller? Shopping for Miniatures

Today I went shopping, in miniature, with the still very new niece. For the second trip I found myself marveling at the wonders of how useful her stroller is. Instead of stumbling around with my cane I have a perfectly acceptable walker. 

My little niece being happy

The wonderful part is she does an exquisite job of making how I walk irrelevant. Her happy little smiles cause strangers to stop and coo. No one notices my 'unusual' stroller posture. Plus, strollers these days are like rolling storage closets. They have room for everything and anything you may carry. Being myself I carry the minimum: a little make-up, wallet, handicap parking pass, afternoon pills, 'as needed pills,' sunglasses etc. Not to mention this also happened to be a 'in miniature trip' meaning I had samples of wood flooring, carpet, kitchen tiles, furniture plans and who knows what for my niece's dollhouse.

Unfortunately the simple stroller pleasures does not work on every one. My niece is the classic example. There was a few moments of patient stroller time, then being carried by mother, then stroller, then mother, then stroller, then eating the lanyard at the end of my cane, and finally back to mother again.Meanwhile I stood there, hanging on to the stroller, literally awestruck at the beautiful work done by people.  

Baby room furniture set all done by me for my niece's dollhouse

When my brain returned I had a long moment of hydration (to avoid the fainting) and began the ever-so-important varnish and upholstery discussions. My niece replied with 'buh buh buh, ma ma ma, screechy screech' to my questions. Her mother speaks perfect English so by the time we got back to the front of the tiny shop we had solved the ever-so-important contemplation over varnish and upholstery. Thank goodness too because the shop lady was downright rude. Possibly as rude as the food store employees who watched me faint and stood there doing nothing while soccer mom came to the rescue so my friend could buy a two dollar bottle of water to revive me.

Then again I may have looked slightly like a bum. I did immediately sit down after leaving the store. Literally. I just moved off to the side so people could get in. There were stairs going up. I don't take stairs lightly in an unfamiliar place. There's almost a little routine I go through before going up them. Drink something to keep staying hydrated? Check. Rest for a moment(s) while in a position medically suggested? Check. Make sure no one is around to see you crawl up the stairs? Check. Taken the necessary pills? Check*

*As it was afternoon pill time I also had to take my pills outside the door which probably did not reaffirm her beliefs in me as a non-bum.

If you are interested, I did get up the stairs discreetly, safely, and not at a complete crawl. I used my cane to return to the car so my sister could pack up the stroller. All in all, I found it to be a successful experience. Not just for dollhouse stuff but for making it successfully through a store without a fainting spell or resigning to a wheelchair. The stroller made for a marvelous walker. I fully intend to be the one 'pushing' it any time we might go shopping. Except next time I will have to remember to take my collapsible cane. She may prefer the one which has a lanyard to drool over but I prefer having a medical device which can be discreetly packed away.


Positive Thought for the Day: Inspiration is everywhere. Open your eyes a little wider and you will see it.