Field Trip!

Today was field trip day at rehab. So, every once in a while, a select few patients are selected as ideal candidates for an outing. Some choose to visit a barber, or go to a coffee shop. Tyler chose well: Mare Island Brewing Company. It was such a nice day, I decided to bring Tycho along. This was Tycho's first visit and he was so excited to see his dad!

Reese and Wilton (Tyler's PT and OT, respectively) were our chaperones for extra support. We found a spot outside where we could sit comfortably with Tycho. The patio was accessible via a ramp, though the doors weren’t automatic or push-button. No matter—Tyler barreled through them with the kind of determination that makes accessibility barriers feel like minor inconveniences.

I arrived a few minutes ahead of them and this gave me a chance to scan the space with my new wheelchair-accessibility lens. My perspective has shifted—where I once saw ambiance, I now clock obstacles, table heights, turnaround space (a wheelchair user generally needs a five-foot circumference), and ramp slopes. Details I never would have paid any mind to before.

One thing about Tyler: he’s tall, even while sitting. At about 5'1" in his chair (maybe taller—sorry, Althea!), many so-called wheelchair-accessible tables end up being too short or too narrow for him. The tables at Mare Island Brewing Company weren’t bad; we made it work.

I spend so much time worrying about logistics—how to navigate, where to park, what might go wrong—that I forget to just be in the moment. But today, something shifted.

For a couple of hours, it wasn’t about blood pressure or board transfers or pain meds. It was about burgers and sunshine and good company.

It was about us.