I don’t remember who it was who said that human beings walked first on four legs, then on two, and finally on three – the third leg being the stick that props up the elderly. That sounds gloomy, of course, but having been using a stick since a recent stay in hospital, I am amazed at how agreeable it is.
For a start I can walk far faster with the stick than I can than without it, which improves the boring trundle towards the bus stop; it’s pleasant to be able to prod things in the garden, and occasionally wave the stick to attract a neighbour’s attention. But mostly it’s great because people are so much nicer to you – not only offering you a seat on the bus, but also holding doors open for you; even cars seem less keen to make you hurry across the road as you cross.
Of course it’s irritating trying to remember where you left the thing, but it encourages me to sling my handbag over a shoulder to leave a hand free – in the spirit of the great Observer journalist George Seddon, who said: “There’ll be no equality for women till they get three hands.” A walking stick gives you the feeling that you have something like an extra one.
“Speak softly and carry a big stick,” said Teddy Roosevelt, but there’s much to be said for carrying a smaller one and talking any way you like.
What do you think? Have your say below
