Recognise this situation ?
I do, often.
Oh shit there’s ******
He’s in a wheelchair! I heard about an accident?! Shit !
Oh shit there’s ******** she’s wearing a wig and has lost 3 stones, just like someone who might have cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy !?
Oh shit there’s XXXXX I’m sure he used to have TWO real legs, not one that’s made of plastic ??!
Fuckfuckfuckfuckshitfuck!
What the hell? What do I say?? What facial expression shall I pull??!
Got it! He/ she’s got a slight tan! Phew!
‘ Hey! You’re looking so brown!! Where’ve you just been for your holidays?! How long for?? How was the flight/ yes, awful that airport , the queues ! I was delayed for half an hour there once ! Anyway, good to see you looking so well, byyyyeeeee…..
Think I got away with that.
Didn’t I ?
# awkward.
It’s really hard to know what to say to someone when they have obviously had something horrible happen to them. And as a nice, polite person I struggle to know whether to mention it or not. What’s more rude? To wade straight in with ‘what happened to you?’ and risk the person feeling that they’re defined by their injury/illness/whatever? Or should you say ‘hello darling, have you been to any good shows lately?’ and ignore it completely? Where do you draw the ‘does he take sugar?’ line?
Of course, you could always go down the rude but hilarious line and go for ‘hello Dawks! You’re looking shorter!’ If I say that to you when I finally get to see you, you can feel free to respond with ‘hello Jones! You’re so fat you have an equator not a waistline!’
Deal?
😀
Russ, can we have a tutorial on how to talk to someone in a wheelchair the first time? Surprise? Inquisitive? Commiserative (?). Or what? Think it would be very helpful. PS no doubt you’ve covered this previously, and I’ve read every blog, but I can’t remember it.