There’s a photo I took

In slums of India:

A group of kids

A tiny apartment courtyard

Trash and mud

Electrical cables draped with clothes

A kid with his arms and legs wide

Revealing a huge smile

And the universality of children finding fun no matter where they are.

 

It’s all a matter of perspective.

 

I have a learning disability.

Learning how to cope

Respecting who I am

Practicing expanding my self-awareness.

 

Don’t judge the value of what I have to say.

 

It’s all a matter of perspective.

 

Kids with learning disabilities,

We have a small stack of poker chips,

Author Rick Lavoie said,

We have more to lose and think twice before throwing a chip out there.

Over the years, I wanted more chips,

Which meant taking risks, participating more.

 

I told myself:

I know I can do it

I know that there’s so much more to me

I will not be defined by my learning disability.

Not everything is so easy for everyone

Everyone needs help,

It doesn’t matter how much help you need,

As long as you get to where you want to be.

 

I shifted my perspective.

 

I had some help.

A victory takes a team.

Push

Outside

Comfort

Zones

 

Making stuff more me, so then that way, I am more comfortable.

 

Here’s where I’m comfortable:

being in the middle of it all,

noticing

experiencing new things,

making the usual unusual

connecting with people,

building community for everyone,

witnessing something come from nothing.

 

My authenticity is my superpower.

 

Seek everyday joy;

Seek perspectives that are inspirational,

Seek where the best of our humanity is displayed.

 

There’s always another way to look at things.