On being disabled

I am disabled, in some ways broken, but life goes on and as time passes I have learned a lot. Having a disability is definitely difficult, but it's also a classroom of human experiences too. While these learning experiences are more profound experienced directly, there are some special tokens of wisdom we can pass along.

1) True happiness is really possible in a "broken" body.

I thought I would never be happy again. But, I am happy. I found happiness through simply being alive, and through faith, family and friends. I still wish I could walk again, but true happiness resides in me.

2) Patience can get you through almost anything. Very often we have to wait longer for all types of things and over time we become masters at honing in on it. Patience has even helped me emotionally get over my physical inabilities in certain occasions.

3) Accidents can and will happen.

The cold-hard truth is that accidents that cause disabilities happen every day, and they could likely happen to you or someone you know. The realness of this possibility is tangible in all lives, but when you have a disability you're just a bit more aware of it.

4) Disability can happen to any one. Congenital disabilities happen.The wisdom here is to never forget we are all imperfect physical beings, and to never think you're exempt. We will all die one day and we're all human.

5) Don't sweat the little things.

Since having a disability can be rather stressful -- broken wheelchairs, health insurance cuts, caregivers suddenly quitting -- we learn early on to not let our stress levels get too high. If we did, none of us would make it past 40. We are confronted with crazy things all the time, so we learn to prioritize what is really worth freaking out over. That is why so many of us seem so zen-like. The movie is sold out? The restaurant has a two-hour wait? No biggie. It could always be worse.

6) Being different is an opportunity. When you live the life as someone who's different, you learn right away it has its cool moments. You get to meet amazing people and get in on special opportunities. When you're vanilla, no one notices.

7) Fitting in is overrated.

When you have a disability, you pretty much have a free-for-all card to be exactly who you want to be since fitting in with the "in" crowd is impossible anyways and embracing this can be one of the most freeing feelings ever. You don't need to fit in to feel good about yourself.

8) You can't judge a person by their looks.

Don't ever think a disability is equitable to someone who is not intelligent. You never know what someone with a disability is capable of.

9) Life is short. Embrace everything.

For many of us, living to 95 isn't probably going to happen, which is why I try to enjoy each day as if it were my last. Most people with disabilities have gotten this down to an art form, from enjoying the sun rays to a warm cup of coffee, we know how hard life can be so we know how to embrace the good things when they present themselves.

10) Weakness isn't always a negative

When living with a disability, you learn to be OK with receiving help, and over time, many of us realize that we all need help in our own ways. There's no getting around it, having a disability is certainly a difficult ticket in life, but the life lessons to be had without question make it a near VIP experience. And hey, the free parking is a nice perk, too.