“There’s a dollar over there. Is it yours?”
So, I’m sitting alone in the airport — a small town airport. I’ve gone through security a little ahead of my friends, and I am waiting by the window. A woman approaches me. “There’s a dollar over there. Is it yours?” I look. Sure enough, there’s a dollar on a seat two rows over. I shake my head. Then, it begins.
The woman asks if I would like the dollar. I say no. “No,” she tells me. “Take the dollar. You can have it.” I respond: “It’s yours; you saw it.” “I’m giving it to you….” At this point, I get a little, well, pissy. I make it perfectly clear that I don’t want to take the dollar. It is a strange situation after all. I didn’t see the dollar. It’s not my dollar. But the scene is sadly familiar. It’s like this one from 2008:
Starbucks. Me drinking bad coffee and reading my email. A bright and beautiful teen picks up her coffee. School ended early today; she’s with her friends, enjoying the freedom. She fumbles her purse, the change, and the drink. 10c falls on the floor at my feet. I turn to see what the noise is. And just catch her… “Please, keep it. I don’t need it.” I look at her. She has her whole future in front of her; she thinks she’s doing me a favour. I realize how I must seem. There’s absolutely nothing to say. Where would I even start? I leave the money on the floor, pack up my computer, and leave.
Just as that frisson of recognition happens, the woman turns to me with that sainted pious look on her face. “I’ll take it,” she says, “and I promise to give it to the next person who needs it.” Continue reading Who Needs It?
So, you are on your way to your first physically integrated performance, but you don’t know what to expect or how to think about what you might see. Allow me, if you will, to offer a somewhat biased guide.
I’m writing this as a response to an email I received. On the face of it, the question is simple: “What is the best wheelchair for dancing?” The answer is unbelievably difficult and yet really simple.
