A WISH COME TRUE: DAY ONE

This post is a part of an 8-day series.

The journey to Atlanta started the same way every Silva voyage starts: rushing to the airport and arriving with a small window of time before boarding begins. Yes, this happens quite often, and no, we don't end up running through the terminal like the McCallister's do in the Home Alone series. Although, I did have my wheelchair on at full speed and successfully dodged a couple of passersby. Over the course of twenty-something years, you learn to navigate a 300-pound motorized monster like an absolute pro. So, with only a few minutes left to spare, we boarded the jet and were on our way.

Now, this is where the story gets a little unfortunate, and I'm pretty disappointed that this had to happen at all, but it must be written about. When we arrived at our destination, I looked out the window, and there was my wheelchair coming out of the jet...COMPLETELY ON ITS SIDE.

Yes, that is correct. My chair was on its side and totally wrecked, and the damage is as noted: two broken headlights, a broken headrest, a bent joystick, and several wires were unplugged causing my wheelchair to ultimately be unusable for quite a while.

It discourages and deeply saddens me that airlines feel as though they can be so careless with something that is of great necessity to us. Although this may sound a little un-Christian of me, sometimes I wish I could break their legs and then ask, "so how does it feel to be totally helpless and stranded? Now, do you understand?"Despite this major setback and frustration, I'm looking forward to making this experience a positive one. I'm also looking forward to seeing the wheelchair technician tomorrow.

But, back to the whole point of why I'm here- I'm getting a service dog! Hopefully. I've already met some incredible people, and I absolutely cannot wait to spend the next seven days with them. I've also made a to-do list for while I'm down here, aside from getting a dog, and I know you're just dying to hear it! The list is: eat a peach, develop a southern accent, win over a southern gentleman with said accent and charm.

In no particular order.