For a few years now, I´ve been hearing the ¨ I’m not your inspiration¨ in some disability stories, and even though I fully respect everyone’s opinion about the matter, I would like to share my point of view.
I was lucky enough to be born in a family that never treated me differently just because of my disability, the ¨normal¨ things were always expected from me, there was no doubt in my mind that I would have to make it to the classroom before the bell rang, my slow walk was never an excuse. I knew that I was going to be asked to prom, not because it was the nice thing to do but, because I was a fun girl to take with you and yes I was asked to several proms. The fact that I would go to university was never questioned, I would learn how to deal with any of the struggles that the student life might bring. Getting married never worried me because of my disability, if I ever thought that I might not get married it was due to the fact that I didn´t know if I was going to find the person that I wanted to spend my life with, not because I didn´t feel worthy of someone. The thought of ¨I should be treated in a special way just because of my disability¨ was never there. I grew up believing that I was capable enough like everybody else to make a difference. So, I go around life just being me, living a normal life in my differently abled body, and if someone finds inspiration in me, the things I do and in the way I do them… MARVELOUS! This world is so in need of love, example and inspiration that why would I take it the wrong way? Like my friend Keira says ¨Embrace the impact you have in this world¨. And what better impact than inspiring someone? You don´t know their background or what is going on in their lives, sometimes just the simple existence of something or someone can change someone lives for the better, who am I to tell someone that they can´t be inspired by me or anything for that matter, is not up to us to decide what inspires someone. They will take, from life in general, what they need to grow as person and to help them achieve what they want the most, and if I - and my disability- happen to be one of the things that inspired them on that moment GREAT, I can´t go around life thinking or expecting not to have an impact, that is impossible, everything does. In this crazy world of disability, we have to fight many battles, why fight something that has a positive impact on someone? Why take it the wrong way? I´m sure every person that has ever come to me said that I was inspiring to them really meant it from the bottom of their heart and it fills my soul that somehow, just with me being me, I inspired someone.
