A few weeks ago during my routine morning walk around Mackworth Island, a gorgeous island in Portland’s Casco Bay, I tripped on a tree root. Since then, I have been a bit limited in my mobility and have had to use a crutch. While I consider myself a pretty optimistic person, I admit that I have been much more negative than usual lately. It is quite difficult for me to accomplish my daily tasks with a crutch under my arm and a severely sprained ankle. However, as soon as it happened, I told myself I would refuse to allow my crutch to get in the way of an event I have been looking forward to for months: The Who at Fenway Park.
Since my high school friends and I purchased tickets, we have been excitedly anticipating the event. We could not wait to head down to Boston, catch up over dinner and drinks, and reminisce over the music of our youth. Unfortunately, anyone who has ever visited Boston and Fenway Park knows they are not exactly “crutch friendly”. To say I was a bit nervous was an understatement. But as soon as I arrived at Cask ‘n Flagon, a bar directly across the street from Fenway, I realized the crutch brought me something I was not expecting: camaraderie.
When I hobbled up to the bar, I noticed a man around my age with two crutches leaned against the counter. He nodded at me, and I nodded back; we understood each other. Later on, when my friends and I sat down in our seats at Fenway, I noticed a woman in the row in front of us also had a crutch. We quickly swapped stories of how we ended up with a crutch, and were bonded for the rest of the concert. And it did not stop there! With each run to the concessions stand run, I spoke with more people on crutches who also braved the barely handicapped accessible ramps and stairs at Fenway to listen to one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
However, beyond the camaraderie I felt with the people in my exact position, I was amazed by the number of people who were simply kind to me. Every person in the crowd of more than 35,000 people was more than willing to open a door, allow me to pass them clumsily, or hold my drink as I prepared my crutch for the long walk back to my seat. I have never felt more connected to a crowd in my entire life.
At The Endurance Group, we pride ourselves on human connection and dialogue. If you are interested in improving your company’s sales and marketing efforts, have a crutches story, or simply love The Who, check out the updated The Endurance Group website. We hope to talk to you soon.