300 apps

 On a magnet board on my bookcase by the bathroom is a gift certificate from my nephew promising to download 300 apps on my phone. He gave it to me 10 or 12 years ago and while it has an expiration date of never, I suspect he want ever fulfill it. That's okay, it makes me smile every time I look at it. Even my iPad, which did have games like Fortnite and Brawl-stars, didn’t ever have 300 apps. 

It makes me smile because even now it seems like such a perfect reminder of my nephew. 

First, he is a giver. There are many, many people in my family who help me. My nephew is definitely one. Every time I ask him to do something, he says sure and does it. He always opens the door for me when I come back from walks. He also loves his phone. Finally, it reminds me of one of my favorite pictures from probably the same era as the gift certificate. It's me on my chaise lounge in my room working on my computer. Next to me in my wheelchair is a little person, my nephew, with bare feet over one arm of the wheelchair and his back against the other arm, playing on my phone. 

One time when we were on vacation, another nephew similar in age said something like he thought he would be in a wheelchair when he grew up and that we will live together and roll around and egg people.

I have no idea where he got “egg people” from. I am pretty sensitive to egging because that happened to me one year Halloween.

But mom was apparently quite moved. Despite the eggs. She pointed out that he had no fear of being in a wheelchair because of me. He did not wind up in a chair, and honestly, I am not certain that it is not something to fear.

I think mom meant he did not fear wheelchairs. 

The nephew I live with doesn’t fear chairs either. Whether it's sitting in one while playing on my phone, riding on the back of one, or racing me in an old chair I had … To my nephew, and other family and friends, wheelchairs are just a part of who I am and he doesn't mind. All that from one gift certificate.