Shaky footing

One problem with this time of year is that just getting around can be hazardous.

I live near Broadview subway station. To get from my apartment building to the station, I currently have two choices:

• I can walk down an alleyway covered in mushy snow and containing various concealed chunks of extremely slippery ice;
• I can walk down Cambridge Avenue to Danforth Avenue, which requires negotiating at least one calf-high pile of snow in which precarious footholds have been carved out.

After last year – when I did something nasty to my left foot after slipping and falling on ice – I’ve been walking very carefully when using either of these available options. So far, I haven’t lost my footing yet this winter.

But something occurred to me last night, as I was climbing over a snowbank: getting around in the snow and ice is hard enough for me. How much harder is it for people who are older, or who have some sort of disability that makes walking difficult? There must be people who are virtually trapped in their homes until the weather warms up. I am grateful that I am not one of those people.