Handy Help & Handicap

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Here is a photo of those Turkish toilets I was writing about.  People often don’t keep public restrooms as clean as they should be.  Simple Turkish toilets are often much cleaner as staff can hose down and disinfect things more thoroughly.

By: Matt’s Mishaps

“Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America is intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!” – Matt 

I have always thought of the word “handicap” meaning that a person needs a bit of extra help in a certain area.  I know we have people facing handicaps from illnesses and injuries, aging or even from events that occurred to our heroes in uniform in the line of duty.

I had a mild handicap as a boy, if one should even call it that.  I had a nightmare of a mouth when growing up.  I had baby teeth that didn’t come out and adult ones that were growing in the wrong places.  It wasn’t a cosmetic situation, but a functional one.  I couldn’t eat an apple or corn-on-the-cob, which is traumatic for one growing up in Indiana.  My parents patiently took me to countless orthodontist appointments until the condition was fixed.  I truly don’t ever take apple and corn-on-the-cob eating for granted.

Moving overseas, I realized that I had potential handicaps that I didn’t even realize I could have.  When ready to buy a vehicle, I asked a salesman about the costs for automatic and manual transmission.  He told me that automatic transmission was just for handicap people.  Living in flat Indiana meant my skills with a clutch were not the greatest.  

I once went into a bathroom in a country to find all the stalls had Turkish toilets (holes in the floor).  However, a man came in right after me with a key from the receptionist.  He unlocked a stall that was marked handicapped on the door. I noticed it had a real toilet!

I guess handicap means different things to different people in different countries.  We probably will always define and understand handicap differently by generation, community and country.  However, maybe we could all agree that we should look for opportunities to lend a helping hand to those around us who could use some extra help in a certain area.

Something similar ever happen to you?   Contact me and let me hear your story!

mattsmishaps@gmail.com    Matt’s Mishaps, PO BOX 114, Grabill, IN  46741