Life is a journey, not a to-do list.
She wasn’t born disabled; she had a stroke that took everything from her. Now she is living an entirely different and far more difficult life, and she does it beautifully. I adore and admire her a great deal. She allows me to ask questions about her disability and what it feels likes. She is helping me understand.
I see how others are scared of her and can be condescending and speak to her like a child or avoid her altogether, making me both angry and sad. I forget she is disabled, because she’s not to me. She’s just, well - she’s just her and needs to borrow my hands sometimes. The woman has guts, and she’s got motivation. She takes everything in stride until someone doubts her and her abilities or tries to push her beyond what her disability will allow, and then she stands her ground. Love that! I want to be more like that. I laugh defiantly in the face of her disability as I realize that her stroke didn’t take the most important things from her. It may have completely taken the mobility in her left arm and slowed her entire world down, but it didn’t take the good stuff.
This amazing woman is teaching me the need to slow down and be more intentional in how I move through life. It's all about living more of what I teach. Amongst all the other lessons I’m involved in learning right now, this one stands out the most. I’m realizing that by slowing down, I can better embody the practices I share with others, making it feel more real and meaningful. It’s like a gentle reminder that true growth happens when I actually live out the values I talk about, allowing myself to savor the delicious tidbits in life, much like the customers who enjoy the samples we hand out, and to enjoy the process rather than rushing to the next thing.
Maybe that’s the real truth about disability. It forces us to see life differently, not as a series of limitations but as a challenge to value what truly matters.
Dedicated to K.K. - Keep making the world a better place and shining your light wherever you go!
