Life is funny, you know. How some people just expect it to turn out a certain way…
We were born to live life the way we know how to live it. Sure, there are the physical aspects that come along with it. Such as the normal everyday tasks like laundry, dishes, and cleaning.
Let me ask you this… Have you ever had anyone expect you to and try and make you and force you to live life *their* way? If you’re anything like me, you certainly have.
There are those of us with disabilities who lead very different lives. I didn’t walk until I was three years old. In fact, there were people out there who thought that I might never be able to. I struggled and struggled with it. My balance was not and still not very good. My parents, teachers, and other people around me would help me stand up, hold onto my little fingers, and slowly taught me to put one foot in front of the other. And they were right there by my side in case I fell. Then one day, it just clicked. And I was able to do it on my own. Remember the tortoise, slow and steady wins the race.
In school, my teachers would probably not consider me on of their best students. As I was a bit delayed in certain subjects. I have difficulty with reading. I love to read, and it isn’t the easiest thing for me to comprehend the stories that I read. Retaining the information is hard. Sometimes I even have to have people explain to me what I’m reading. Still, most of the time I stick to it and work with it until I am able to understand what it is that I’m reading. Throughout my years in school, I was in a ton of remedial classes. For those of you who might not know what a remedial class is, let me try and explain. There are those of us who learn at a slower rate than most people. There is nothing wrong with that. It’s just a what’s so. And there are special teachers and people who have been trained to help those of us with disabilities to succeed in school and lend support where and when needed. I went through these kinds of classes off and on for eighteen years of my life. Through twelve grades. Thirteen if you’re counting kindergarten. At the end of it all, I am proud to say, I have and earned my high school diploma.
After high school, most people enter college. I didn’t. I took some time off, and then entered the work world. I have worked off and on for twenty-two years. From a file clerk for an insurance company all the way to a tax examining clerk for the IRS (yes, I said IRS)! So, I’ve had many an odd job. So, you could say that I’ve been around. (In the work world, that is).
What I’m trying to say, an the point I’m making is, one does not have to be like everyone else. It’s OK to be different. You live your life the way you want to live it and the way it was meant to be. And finally, the most important thing is, dance to the beat of your own drum!
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