Sometimes I think it’s a dog and pony show. Sometimes I think in order to fit in I have to prove myself. But I’ve come to realize the stereotypical thought about people with disabilities is that they can’t do it. So those that go by that stereotype need proof to the contrary.

As those who have read about me before, I have a physical disability, although I do not use a wheelchair. My roommate also has a disability and he uses a wheelchair. After a little bit of time we’ve been able to create a routine for folding up the wheelchair and getting it in the car. The back comes off, then the pad comes off, then you pull up in the center and open the back door of the car and slide the wheelchair in and lean it against the pasenger seat. It sounds simple enough, but it is a little bit of work.

A good friend of ours picked up my roommate one day and had to do all that. Recently we were leaving church and he came out by us and said, “I have a newfound appreciation for you guys”.

The best thing that anyone with a disability can do is simply, just do. Don’t hide away, go and do what you want. The more we are out amoungst the public, the greater opportunity to break the stereotypes. No one questions someone that doesn’t look like they have a disability. When we do what we do, others will see the differences as just parts of the process.

Those of you without disabilities, would you like proof? Well, then all you need to do is hang out with us. Go to church with us. Employ us. Challenge us in a game of Monopoly. You’ll soon realize we aren’t that different from you, just unique.

“Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within.” - Helen Keller.

In order to carry a positive attitude in life, one has to accept one’s self first. I had some good help in this department.

My family never treated me like I couldn’t do something, they encouraged me to try anything. I tried to walk, falling down and scraping my elbows. I tried talking, at times unable to be understood. I even tried liver and onions. Trying and liking, are two different things. So I’ll let others have the liver and
onions.

Our emotions play a large part in our life. We need to accept all of our feelings. Sadness, anger, jealousy, envy, confusion, excitement, happiness and fear are manageable emotions.

If you have any trouble accepting any of these emotions, make a list of the ones you have trouble accepting. When confronted by one of these emotions, think hard why you have a tough time
dealing with it. Write it down. Keeping it at the top of your consciousness, you’ll be able to find a way of accepting it.

I went through many of these emotions and had to tackle them. Jealousy was a big one for me. Watching others do things I wanted to do, knowing full well, I’ve tried them and can’t do them. I
had to come to accept this, so I found things I could do well that others stumble with. This way I was able to accept what I couldn’t do and move on.

I bet, if you’re even a tiny bit human, you like to blame others when things go wrong. For some strange reason, we love playing the part of the victim. We will always be a victim until we learn to forgive. We need to forgive others as well as ourselves.

At a motivational seminar, I heard a parable of a snake and forgiveness. On a teenager’s sixteenth birthday, a car is something a teenager looks forward to. On this particular birthday, a father had a small present wrapped for his son.

The son expecting keys to a car, unwrapped the present to find a bible. So let down, the son threw down the bible and stormed out the door. He never forgave his father nor returned home.

Many years later the father died and the son returned home for the funeral. There waiting at home for him was the same bible sitting on the fireplace. The son picked up the bible and started to thumb through it. Something fell to the floor out of the bible. He looked down to see a car key. His sixteenth
birthday car key.

It isn’t the snake bite that does the serious damage; it’s chasing the snake that drives the poison to the heart. Forgiveness is a very powerful tool for increasing your love for yourself and you capacity to love others.

We help our self-esteem by forgiving ourselves and others. We can also use gratitude to boost our self-esteem. Don’t you feel good when someone says thank you? You can share that same
feeling with others.

Being alive is the simplest thing to be thankful for. Each day to wake up and live through another day.

I could easily go through each day regretting a life I could have had without a disability. I don’t. It’s something that is out of my control. I am thankful for the life I have. The perspective I have, the family, the friends but most importantly I am thankful for the challenges I face every day. What are you thankful for? Happy Thanksgiving!