A disability is the part of my life that has worked to influence who I have become in many, many ways. In this post, I would like to address the question, "What would I be capable of teaching my able bodied peers?"
In order to answer this question properly, I have chosen to be completely open and honest. I want to share words that come straight from my heart; I want to show everyone that really, I have the same feelings as everybody else; that I face some of the same challenges as them as well, I just deal with them on a different scale.
The first characteristic that I possess that might be of a benefit to those without disabilities is my ability to provide unconditional love and compassion to others. My love for my friends and family is somehow deeper than most, I suppose. I love really hard. I love to hug. I love to smile and to laugh. I give people tons of chances; it is very rare that I ever cut someone out of my life; it takes a lot to push me to my limit. I say "I love you" to all of my dearest friends. The world needs more of that; it has become a place of terror, selfishness, and coldness. I am glad that I have been put in the position to spread so much positivity.
The second characteristic that I would hope to influence others with is my ability to stay physically active with the body that I have been given. A disability such as cerebral palsy, leads you to find alternative ways to accomplish what is needed to be accomplished on a daily basis; I clean house, I cook meals; I do everything a non disabled person does, with the exception of not driving a car. I will cross that bridge some day though! My mother has always taught me to make whatever accomodations that I felt were necessary. There's a solution to every problem, you just have to find what works best.
Lastly, my perserverance is a quality that I hope to pass onto others. I have faced a lot of trials and tribulations in my lifetime; I've gone through feeling unwanted, unsuccessful, and struggle with low self esteem at times; but I have always worked hard to push through all my battles. Find your passions, work to set as many goals as you can, and try to create a life that you will look back on and be proud of; at twenty four, that's what I'm striving to do daily. I have "off" days occasionally, but an "off" day is okay. Once you realize you can climb out of the self pity trap and you learn to take one day at a time, there is no telling what you might achieve.
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