Ten years ago, I never thought I would be anything more than just a girl in a wheelchair. I spent my days cropping out my wheelchair and using old pictures. Hiding behind a computer screen was easier than facing reality for my fourteen year old self. I constantly wondered, "Why me?". What did I do that was so bad in my fourteen years of life to deserve this? I had tons of friends and boys wanting to date me, but I lost all of that the day I started seeing myself as a set of wheels and not a human being. Many of you are guilty of seeing the wheelchair before the person, and many of you are in a wheelchair yourself.
I can now proudly say, I stopped seeing myself as a set of wheels. Once I started seeing myself as a regular person, other people did too. I no longer look in the mirror and think how ugly I am because of these wheels. I look in the mirror and see a badass chick who has been through hell and still wears a genuine smile. It is all about perspective!
Sure, people still see the wheelchair first but I don't. Once someone gets to know me, they often forget I am even in a wheelchair. They don't forget because they can't see my wheelchair, they forget because who I am shines brighter than my rims. Nobody wants to be around someone who wallows in self pity, so I stopped being that person. Shit happens and it sucks, but we have to pull through. If you can't laugh at the misfortune this injury causes then you will forever be stuck in a sad place. I am not saying people can't have bad days, but I will always say it is just a bad day not a bad life!
After ten years, I no longer question "Why me?". I know this happened so I can reach out to that fourteen year old girl and say it gets better. Time may not heal our wounds, but it teaches us to cope with them. Learn to love every part of yourself because every part of you is unique. I hope that no matter what anyone is going through that they look in the mirror and see the good not the bad. You only get one life, and if you don't love yourself then nobody will. As my dad says best, "Love yourself, fuck everyone else!"
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