Yesterday as we were leaving PT, a guy in a wheelchair came rolling up. “Are you headed this way?” I asked him, indicating the door I held open. He flashed me a grin and responded, “I’ve got it.” He meant it to. Before I’d even reached my car, I heard the door click closed behind him.
Sweeping generalities aside, you’d be hard pressed to say that this can do, no holds barred, won’t take no for an answer isn’t typical of the amputee community. Daily we witness this indomitable spirit.
We were days home from our adoption trip and and one night after dinner we were all clearing our plates from the table. My daughter wanted to carry her plate to the sink too. I can’t remember what was on her plate but I do remember that if spilt it would have made a horrible mess, so I headed to the sink with her plate. She gave me a look of such hurt and betrayal. I all but expected her next utterance to be “Et tu, Brute?” I walked back to the table with the messy plate and slid it under her chin. She gripped the plate tight, steadying it on her little arm and we walked over to the sink spill-free. The look of triumph on her face was hard to miss.
When I read an article about someone with a disability overcoming that disability and going on to achieve great things, frequently the write-up says, “in spite of his/her disability, he/she succeeded in….” I don’t know if resilience is innate or learned, probably a little bit of both. What I do know is that people achieve not in spite of any perceived disability, but because of. We are who we are for a reason.
What’s your mountain top? How many steps do you need to take to get you over that mountain?
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