Waffle Therapy

Remember when I mentioned waffle-making in a previous post? The other day, Tyler's OT mentioned waffles as a good therapeutic activity. Cooking, like anything, involves quite a bit of balance and shifting from one surface to another. We figured waffles would be a good starter cooking activity.

As always, I learned a lot just by watching. First takeaway: Tyler’s going to need a solid cutting board for his lap. Moving a big mixing bowl while also maneuvering a wheelchair? Nearly impossible. But a board would change that—giving him a stable surface, a way to make the movement work for him instead of against him.

Then there was the stirring the batter. Tyler broke a sweat. Watching him compared to Arthur, I saw the sheer effort in every motion.

When I took a turn, I realized just how much of my own stirring power comes from my full upper body—and, without thinking, my legs. The hand mixer was right there, but this man will never try the easy way first.

Because easy isn’t the point.

The point is finding his way—figuring out what works, what doesn’t, what needs tweaking. It’s about physical and mental strength – the kind that builds with every small adjustment, every workaround, and every “let’s try it this way instead.” It’s about pushing through the effort, even when a hand mixer would be faster.

And in the end? We still get waffles.