Several years ago, I traveled 250 miles to visit my son’s family for a weekend to attend my granddaughter’s dance recital. I made it a practice of never missing one of those kinds of things. The program was held in a city auditorium. My wife and I sat in seats on the outside aisle, as we do most everywhere, so I could get up easily without disturbing other folks. True to form, after about 40 minutes of sitting still, my WED/RLS begins to take over. Our granddaughter was still further down on the program.

The side aisle was wide so I could easily get up and move over to the side near a door with a nice tall plant so I would not disturbed anyone. So I had thought. Then there was the usher. A tall nice looking lady, with a military presence, saunters up to me and whispers, “Sir, you’ll have to sit down. This area can only be used by persons in wheelchairs.”

“Ma’am, I have Restless Legs Syndrome and I’m unable to sit any longer but I want to see my granddaughter dance.”

“Well, you’ll have to get a wheelchair if you don’t want to sit in a seat.”

“Ma’am, I couldn’t even sit in a wheelchair.”

“Well, then you’ll have to leave. That’s the rule.”

Whereupon she ushers me out the door – all of which was more disturbing to the people sitting near my wife than if I’d stood and walked around the whole time. I stayed close to the door out in the mezzanine and was able to hear the music and determine that it was near the right time. Luckily, a man came out that door at the right moment and in I slipped. My granddaughter was on stage doing her thing. But before her part was over, I felt the presence of the military again. I said, “Ma’am, that’s my granddaughter up there and I’m staying for her performance.”

The lady left, but before my granddaughter’s act was finished, the usher returned with reinforcement and I had to duck out the door fast. I was miserable with my afternoon attack of WED/RLS, but their misunderstanding and refusal to listen made me even more uncomfortable. And this is not the only time that a similar thing has occurred. The misery of WED/RLS.