courtesy
When I was a kid growing up outside Boston, my mom walked me about a mile to and from school everyday unless my grandfather, Poppy, could drive us. Those walks were one of the best parts of my days. On the way home, I’d beg her to stop at the corner store for candy and other treats, and then we’d sit and eat them in the park before heading home. My mom couldn’t drive because of a visual impairment (she also had a genetic disability called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which can cause chronic pain and fatigue), so we walked almost everywhere to the grocery store and then back, our rolling cart full of groceries; to the bus stop and train station to get to medical appointments; and to my best friends’ houses for sleepovers.