If you know me, you would find this photo suspect since if it were actually of me, I would definitely be wearing black and not a pastel shade. (It’s a stock photo by Getty chosen by the editor, who also chose the essay’s title. My own was more sparse, just “Cane.”)
And if you have seen me out and about in my Upper Valley habitat, you may know that a cane—either black or purple depending on my mood—is a constant companion. You may even have been one of the people who reached for my arm, or held a door open, or pointed out the availability of an elevator.
Here is a personal essay I wrote on how I feel about it all, just published in Next Avenue, a PBS-affiliated online magazine for older people. Thank you for reading. And, please, if you should offer me a seat at any time, I won’t be mad about it.
https://www.nextavenue.org/i-carry-a-cane/
or, click here.
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And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.