Life

Life Is Too Short,
Break The Rules, Forgive Quickly,
Kiss Slowly, Love Truly,
Laugh Uncontrollably,
And Never Regret Anything
That Made You Smile.
Life May Not Be The Party
We Hoped For,
But While We're Here, We Should Dance...

The piece above really has me thinking right now. Would my life be different if I didn’t have Cerebral Palsy and Vasculitis? Would I be different? Probably. What I cannot say is whether it would be a good or a bad thing.

I know that I am more compassionate than I probably would have been if I hadn’t dealt with disabilities and illness for my entire life. I believe that I am more able to recognise and sympathise with other people who have disabilities. I also understand that sympathy isn’t always wanted- inclusion is.

I am a very shy person and do not like to step out of my comfort zone. I have few friends and it takes me a very long time to warm up to people. I may have been shy even if I were not disabled but I do feel that being disabled has contributed to my shyness. I live in a very small town and am one of a very small number of people who use a wheelchair and growing up I was the only person in a chair in my town. This made me an object of curiosity in my town and also meant that I had to fight hard to ensure that my town was accessible (not just physically either).

This hasn’t always been easy but I do not regret any of it, even for a minute. I have not only paved the way for an easier life for myself but for those PWDS who follow in my wheel tracks.

How has being a PWD or carer of a PWD changed your life?