Today, I met a remarkable girl.  I never got the chance to catch her name, but she earned my respect in so many ways.

Being a paraplegic and using a wheelchair to get around campus, people hold the door open for me ALL of the time.  I greatly appreciate it whenever people do, but I’d like to preface this story by saying no means do I ever make it seem necessary.  I almost never use power buttons (unless the door is just TOO heavy – ironically enough, power button motors make doors even heavier than those without), and always try to hold the door open for others.

Today, I was grabbing lunch with one of my best friends.  We were leaving Turner Place, a new dining hall on campus, when I see a girl off in the distance in front of me, having already gon through the door. I’m pretty sure my wheelchair just caught the corner of her eye, and she swiftly turned around in order to hold the door open for me.  She holds open the first door, AND the second and we are outside.

Once outside, I ask her a question.

“Have you ever heard of Actively Caring?”

She says no, and I go on to explain the movement to her, and give her one of my wristbands.  She says thank you, and we are both on our way.  I was happy that it seemed like I really connected with her, and she really appreciated the receipt of the bracelet, as well as understood the movement behind Actively Caring.  After that, I roll away and about three or four paces later, I notice that my cell phone has dropped out of my lap, where I usually keep it while I”m on the move. Happens all the time.

I turn around to stop and pick up my phone.

There is the same girl, that held the door open for me. With her green bracelet on. With my phone in hand. To give it back to me. Caring. Again.