Pushing The Limits

Today we braved the threat of rain and the crowds to do some holiday shopping.  Knowing how much wandering we would need to do inside Walmart, we brought the power chair with us, which of course always makes for a nerve-wracking driving experience.  I'll never stop being paranoid that someone's going to smash into my large, expensive chair when it's strapped on its tow rack on the back of our car.

We had a lot of fun toodling around the store picking out presents and stocking stuffers for our kids. And we finished up in time to head over to our favorite Indian restaurant for the buffet lunch.  The trouble with this tasty little joint is that it's located in an out-of-date little strip mall with scarcely any handicap parking and only one ramp access to the sidewalk for the entire length of the strip, and that was at the opposite end from where we were.  And the tiny little storefront doorways didn't look like they would accommodate my big chair.  No matter.  No amount of buckled and cracked asphalt or sloping sidewalks was going to keep me from nan and vegetable korma.  We decided to leave the chair at the car and walk to the restaurant with my canes.

My husband parked the car as close as he could get to the restaurant while still having room for both of us to get out of the car (some of the parking spaces there are very narrow) and came around the side to hand me my canes.  I turned out of my seat and stood up, slipped my hands through the wrist straps so I couldn't drop the canes, and headed toward the sidewalk with my husband close beside me.  When we reached the curb, we went back to our old safety dance that we developed in my stronger, stairs-everyday days last fall, where he walks backward in front of me, and we clasp forearms for balance and strength.  One big step up and I was on the sidewalk, but I still had another 60+ feet to go before I reached the restaurant table where I could finally sit down.  Slow but steady I cruised down the sidewalk, which was literally a gentle downhill slope toward the restaurant, finally reaching it after one brief rest of leaning against a wall.  My husband and a server held the inner and outer doors for me, and I asked that we be seated at the closest possible table, which was only about 15 feet from the front door.  I sure was glad to finally sit down and catch my breath!  It had been quite a workout getting there, but I was thrilled to arrive and to enjoy the variety of delicious, exotically spiced foods on the buffet for my reward.

If you've never had Indian food, you don't know what you're missing.  This place we like specializes in Northern Indian cuisine, and our favorite dish of theirs, by far, is chicken korma.  The korma sauce is a sweet, nutty, creamy concoction that I'm almost certain has some kind of nutmeg or cardamom in it.  On the buffet they don't have the chicken variety, but a vegetable one, which is full of tender peas, small dices of cauliflower, and soft lumps of potato.  Another favorite dish is chicken masala, with its spicy, Georgia red clay-colored tomato curry sauce, which is very mild on the buffet, but can be ordered with as much heat as you like when you're dining off the menu.  And to support all these hearty meat and veggie dishes, and more importantly to sop up all their delicious gravies, are basmati rice and fresh-baked nan.  With endless cups of hot, creamy chai to wash it down.  It just doesn't get any better than that.  

I knew I didn't want to push my luck or my wobbly knees when we finished lunch though, so I had my husband go ahead of me to get the car and bring it closer as I slowly made my way up that sidewalk.  We did our clasped arm dance while I stepped down off the curb, and then I made my way to the car and sat down in my front seat.  It was a total success from start to finish, and now I've earned myself a nice afternoon of rest.  I'll need it, since tomorrow is my son's bowling birthday party!