Have you ever had your entire life change in the blink of an eye? No warning, no sign of something to come, just ‘BAM’ and life as you know it will never be the same.
That’s what happened to me. One minute I was in a car with seven other girls on our way to a girls night out and the next thing I knew I was lying on the pavement outside the care unable to feel my lower extremities with no idea what happened or how I got there.
Let me tell you: something like that changes you.
I can’t even count how many times someone has said to me, “you’re so strong. If I were you I would have killed myself.”
Now, I’m an open minded woman. I am well aware that when someone says this they mean it as a compliment. I know that in their heart, this is a form of praise but in reality, they’re saying that, if given the choice between being me and being dead, they’d rather be dead. Cool, bro. I appreciate that? I guess?
Let me assure you: You do not know how you would react to a situation until you are actually in it.
I find that a lot of things I experience with my disability are relatable to so many others and their personal experiences. I’m sure some of you have encountered a life changing event of some sort. Something that changed EVERYTHING.
Shortly after, you are faced with the decision - am I going to own this and make the best of it? Or am I going to just kill myself because I can’t possibly go on? I’m just being real, people. It is what it is and unfortunately many people choose the latter.
Once you decide you want to live, you then have to choose how. Are you going to just exist? Sit around and let life pass you by while you wait for the end? Or are you going to be thankful that you are still breathing and really LIVE your life?
Will there be obstacles? Probably. Will you be able to do everything you really want to do? Maybe. Maybe not. There are many factors that will determine the possibilities - but that’s just it:
THERE ARE POSSIBILITIES.
Perhaps your life will continue on the way you planned but it also might not. That doesn’t mean you have to give up. It doesn't mean you have to complain every day about everything you’ll never do.
It means you find things you CAN do. It means you find a new path or direction.
IT DOES NOT MEAN YOUR LIFE HAS TO BE OVER.
If you are ever faced with a situation that is a true game changer - something that changes your life as you know it, It means you adapt. It means you change. It means yo do the best with what you got.
I was ‘fortunate’ enough to learn at a very young age that life is precious. You never know what will happen or when. This lesson afforded me the opportunity to learn true ambition. It helped me learn to seize the moment. It is a constant reminder to make the best of every day because you never know when it will be your last.
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