The story of how one of my favorite quotes came to be my favorite quotes. It was Mother’s Day 2010. I was trying to focus on something interesting to say “thank you,” to my mother, as I do annually. Lately, instead of commercial, chain-store, manufactured things, I had been going for homemade artifacts and goods to share with her. For example, for Mother’s Day 2013, I made a mason jar full of slips of paper that listed why she was awesome!
But on this particular occassion, I found myself in the mall by happenstance, and decided to spontaneously pop into a Hallmark Card Store.
This quote jumped out at me right away. It’s something my mom has always, ALWAYS shared with me, with the message: to set my sights on what I want to do and run with it, no matter if I think it is “impossible” or not. After all, is “impossible” really even a thing?
I bought two of these stands, one for her and one for me. The second one hangs proudly in my new, developing office, right above the light switch. It’s a subtle reminder to both myself and all of my students that I work with that even what you think is impossible can be achieved; and when it is, you’ll like the feeling. Similarly, another one of my favorite quotes, by Henry Ford: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t; you’re probably right.”
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Many other quotes are being shared in another area of my office, on my newly made Quote Wall. Here’s just a few of them.
Many of these have already been tweeted, so check out the side-bar on the left if you’re looking for a little bit of daily inspiration. :)
Tonight, I was just clicking around the internet and found some amazing footage.
This video was featured on ABC News earlier this week. A man named Nik Wallenda decided to take on amazing feat; to try and walk across the Grand Canyon. Sure, that sounds like a huge feat in and of itself, but it was even more impressive for one reason: because he attempted it without a harness!
But, Nik’s no rookie. He did the same thing over Niagara Falls just last year. Also, if you dig on the internet deep enough you’ll find information about Nik and his family. In fact, Nik is a 7th-generation Wallenda, all of whom are privy to these death-defying tightrope activities.
I don’t think I’ll ever actually add this to my Bucket List; I’m not into risking my life. But I still thought this was amazing. And, as it mentions on his website that is linked in his name up top, his message of “never give up” is nothing short of inspirational.
One of the most frequent questions I get asked in my daily life is, “sir, why are you in a wheelchair?” Right behind that is, “what is it like to be in a wheelchair?” People of all ages, all backgrounds, and in all environments are always very eager to ask this question. It’s a question that doesn’t bother, annoy, or belittle me. I really enjoy playing the role of educator as often as I can, so I take it as an opportunity to teach them a little something.
While an article like this is actually pretty accurate, there is one general rule of thumb: don’t treat a person who is using a wheelchair any different than you would anyone else. Period. It’s pretty safe to assume that the person with a disability that you’re interacting with feels most comfortable and most at ease when they are blending in, when they aren’t encouraged to stand out as they usually (and naturally) are.
I’ve gathered most of those opinions from living life, but there is one particular experience that has encouraged me to write this blog in particular. And it’s actually from watching a TV show. Last summer, I blogged about a brand-new show called Push Girls. Well, Push Girls has begun its second season, and it’s absolutely fascinating.
Can I PLEASE be friends with every single one of them?
Point blank, watching this show is a lot of different emotions for me: exciting, emotional, eye-opening, inspiring…the list goes on. Particularly, episode 3 of the 2nd season, in about 23 minutes of air time reminded me of so many different times in my own life, as a person with a disability.
Moments like having to seek out individualized care when you can’t take care of yourself, to wanting to have someone to accompany you to the doctor’s office (especially when you might be receiving bad news), to going through driving evaluations to learn how to drive and gain that independence. Other moments like learning how to use your hand controls, and going to the beach together, and cooking together with your significant other in the kitchen. All of these things take a very patient person, especially if they’re able-bodied. I’ve been blessed to have quite a few of those in my life.
It’s all certainly a part of growing up, but when you realize that you’re so different – and then you connect with others who are also “different” – it makes watching TV a lot more like living life and remembering moments of your life so far. I really hope I get to meet these ladies one day; they are amazing.
If you have a free moment, go watch a few episodes of Push Girls. It comes on the Sundance Channel on Monday nights at 10. I don’t have cable, so I watch it online – and that site is linked in the previous post about Push Girls on my blog (linked above).
Enjoy!
And remember – if you can’t stand, up…then stand out. :)
One of my summer goals has been to read a lot more. I’m not a big fan of reading – I prefer to just scan things and get the big picture – but with the absence of graduate school reading, I’m deciding to fill that void with some “leisure” reading this summer.
I link to the Amazon page for each book below so that you can see more of what it’s about, if you so decide (I hate to play the role of spoiler), but I’m going to give some quick reflections and/or justifications on them here.
Here are the four books that I’m interested in so far.
The first book, on the bottom left, Gabby, finally finished reading in April. Kristin and I started reading it soon after her accident and resulting TBI last winter, but I stopped reading it when she had moved back for a while and things got hectic toward the end of the semester. That book is…fascinating, to say the least, especially given the circumstances. Whenever I need a little inspiration I can open that book and read any given part of it and it helps me push through most of the time. It’s written from the perspective of her husband as she recovers, and so many of the thoughts he has are shared.
The Defining Decade (top right) is one that I have already completed – in like five days, actually, earlier this summer. I actually have a VERY long list of things on my desktop to blog about about this book in the near future. Being a twentysomething myself, and that’s who this book is geared towards, it spoke to me in ways that no other book really has. It also has an amazing TED talk to accompany it, delivered by it’s author Meg Jay. If you want the cliff-notes version of the book, the TED talk is a great way to get them; but I would definitely suggest reading the book.
Making Hope Happen, on the top left, was gifted to me by my professor and mentor Dr. Frank Shushok. I haven’t read it yet, but I saw Dr. Shane Lopez, the author, speak on campus last year. I’m GOING to finish this one by the end of the summer (there is no audiobook so that’s a big statement coming from me!). Dr. Lopez has a background in motivation and Strengths and his experience definitely was insightful and interesting.
Start With Why, I’m about half way through. I had the opportunity to meet the author, Simon Sinek, when he came to Virginia Tech, and I then watched his TEDx talk. His book, I think, is much better than his talk. He talks about Apple a lot (which if you watch this spot, you will understand why). The gist is what “people don’t buy what you do, they buy how you do it.” And if you can go one step further and figure out WHY you do the things that you do – personally, professionally, however – then you will be much more successful. I’m reading it through a Book Club with some co-workers this summer, and I’m excited to talk our way through the rest of the book.
I have a list of just under 15 other books that I plan to get around to by the end of my life, I hope, but maybe 3 or 4 more this summer. At the top of my list are books titled “One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student’s Assessment of School,” “Never Eat Alone,” and “Little Princes.” The final one on that list is authored by Connor Grennan, and is actually the Common Book for Virginia Tech this year. Kristin and I are going to start reading it together soon. It’s about a man who ends up in Nepal on a life-changing journey…that’s about all I know.
Let me know which books you’ve been reading. Try not to add anything new to my list though! ;)
Just going through some old photos on my computer that I never uploaded and I found a few gems. Like these bad boys.
The blocks that create the art on the right have been around for AGES. One of my students had created most of it before I discovered him…but I was in awe. A natural design, I guess, but I’m not artsy enough to come up with something like that… And the image on the right was my feeble attempt at building something interesting a few months ago! haha
This is the first week that I’ll spend, fully, in Blacksburg this summer, and it’s going to be so strange NOT having my first graders to go visit! They are a staple and a highlight of every week for me in Blacksburg. So I’m going to be a little nostalgic, and anxiously await August, by reminiscing about that first grade school lunch.
This was two days, back-to-back, with a taco theme. I even got to have some of the secret lunch options that the lunch ladies have every once in a while! Moving up in the world. ;)
I gotta find myself a cool lunch box so I can pack my own next year…
I’m beyond excited to share this with you all! I’m currently finalizing the process of signing on the be a guest and speaker at the week-long Youth Leadership Forum of Virginia next month. This is a program for students with disabilities in the Commonwealth to attend as either high school juniors or seniors. Their disabilities are on a wide range, but their abilities are exponential. While I never attended this event as a student, as I’ve continued my work in disabilities across the state, particularly thanks to Dr. Susan Asselin who was my faculty mentor on an undergraduate research project, I’ve heard so much about it!
To give a little bit of background on the program, I heard about it in, honestly, the weirdest way possible! I was at an event called the Transition Forum event where Dr. Asselin and I were presenting in late 2011 or early 2012. I met a lady named Teri, who happened to just be the boyfriend, at-the-time, of one of my very best college friends. She had seen me in pictures with her son and and my friend together, and approached me at the conference.
She shared her business card with me, and I kept it on my desk in Blacksburg for a while, not really sure where the connection was. As this summer rolled around, and I wanted to be able to help out with the YLF program, so Teri and I finally had a connection. The rest is history!
The YLF program seeks to empower young people with disabilities to further develop their leadership skills. Students take part in a wide range of activities and learning experiences during the four day Youth Leadership Forum set on a university campus in Richmond.
Let me tell you, there is absolutely nothing like giving back to communities and individuals that not only have given so much to you but that you also know have such potential to be a driving force in this world.
Can’t wait. I hope the host-hotel is pet friendly! :)
Back in 2010, I was a program leader with the YMCA at Virginia Tech. One of my mentors, a woman named Jen, told me about a bus she had seen in Christiansburg while shopping at Target. She came back to campus and did a little bit of research, and shared with me a website. Turns out, it was the Kindness Bus. Little did I know, this bus spoke for so many things that would become important to me in the next few years.
Bob Votruba’s Kindness Bus.
Jen mentioned the bus to me because I just so happened to be involved with planning a Kindness Week for the YMCA at Virginia Tech. It was an idea concocted by many of us in the office, explained in that linked document that I found on Google. Little did we know, Actively Caring was gaining steam, and after we planned the week we learned much more about how both movements definitely overlapped in their mission and their values. It was unique and impressive.
We brought Bob to Virginia Tech and he met with some of our students about the importance of kindness, spreading kindness to others, and living it out in our everyday lives. Bob has given all of his meaningful belongings in order to have his bus that he drives across the country – with his dog Bogart, whom I had the honor of meeting – and continues to spread the good message.
Over the weekend Bob, the man behind the idea of the One Million Acts of Kindness Bus Tour, shot me an e-mail. I hadn’t heard from Bob in a few years, as he continued his meaningful trek across the country and I finished up my first round of studies in college. But I was beyond happy to see this article that, once again, is giving national coverage to the kindness that he is spreading, just as Actively Caring does.
