I inadvertently spent much of Saturday night in an obstacle course. Have you ever needed to rely on crutches? Although I am getting better, I am still a novice manipulating these tools of freedom.

I am in the last two weeks of having my lower right leg entombed in no-longer-soft cotton lined rigid fiberglass. My inaccessible skin is driving me wild. So I was happy to accept an offer to attend a bachelorette dinner at the Chart House in Annapolis. I figured, surely I can crutch it into a table and back to the car for a change of scenery.

The Chart House is a wonderful restaurant overlooking the historic Annapolis harbor. I had been there before, but not in a long time, and certainly not on crutches. I had forgotten, for example, that the front door to the restaurant was down a long pier. I had not realized that this weekend was the Boat Show, and it was more crowded than usual. I felt a bit like I was returning to the scene of the crime.

It occurred to me as I hobbled toward the entrance that I would make an easy mark for a purse snatcher and I hoped that everyone would be nice. Overall, everyone was nice, but I was a bit dismayed at the general public's lack of helpfulness, or more likely awareness, of my need for assistance. I am reminded that I need to pay more attention to these opportunities to help in the future.

Maneuvering in a restroom with crutches is a comedy of errors. I have new opinions of handicapped accessibility and a renewed respect for those among us living with permanent disabilities. You know those sadists who place toilet paper roles in locations designed for contortionists? They wreak their havoc in the handicapped stall as well. I'd like to see them reach for that dispenser while balancing on one foot.

Anyway, the invigorating laughter of new and old friends coupled with the pecan and cranberry encrusted mahi-mahi more than made up for the challenges the night set out for me. I even had wine from the Snoqualmie Vinyards in Washington State that I visited a few years ago with my dear friend in Seattle and it was a sweet reminder of that old friend.