Ellen, my mom was having hip issues recently. I went to walk with her after I read this and I said, "Do you want to go down "name" street?" It's the street we always walk down, the one I grew up on. "No way!" she said "I look like myself. I look like a broken old lady." It made me think about your piece, how self-conscious the limp made you feel. My mom is usually overly confident but feeling like she didn't walk like herself was too much for her. I told her your story. SHe gave me a look, like "fine, I get it". We turned towards that street. Stories matter.