The name of this blog is intentional. I do my best to thrive with cerebral palsy. Thriving is how I referred to my mindset with my condition before sharing my life and story with the world. It is just what I do. I am learning thriving is a constant work in progress and never a
Author: gapb83
Today has been a roller coaster of emotions. The time change does not help. Why are we required to endure this madness twice a year, again? I stretched out onto the floor and grabbed my phone. I sent some texts to a few of my chosen siblings to get much needed perspective. I was close
Today is International Women’s Day. In honor of that, I want to salute the important women in my life who have helped make me the person I am and will be. I come from a line a of strong women. Their strength was definitely passed down to me by both DNA and example. In addition,
March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. When I found out a few years ago, it irked me, honestly, at first. My initial thought was: “Really? We need one?” I did not want people with my condition to be singled out anymore than they already are. On a personal level: I did not want to be
I am my own worst critic. It has always been the case. When I say I am critical of myself, I mean cruelly and ruthlessly so. Bullies on social media have nothing on the way I treat myself. Why am I exacting on myself? Having cerebral palsy means people underestimate me already, so I feel
I have been singing for as long as I can remember. My first memory of singing is with my granny in her kitchen while she cooked. I was still in the highchair her daughters used and us grandkids all used as well. Almost everybody on mama’s side of the family is musically inclined. Music is
I am emotional by nature. I feel deeply and everything. My emotional nature feels like a sponge, often. If I am close to somebody, I can read their emotions and doing so impacts mine. For much of my life, this caused me to be a people pleaser and lack skills required to set boundaries. I
I was born with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. My kind of cerebral palsy means I have an overabundance of muscle tone in my body. The most common symptom I deal with is tight muscles, which can, and often does, lead to muscle spasms. My general practitioner prescribes muscle relaxers for me to take as needed.
There is a misconception about myself I want to put to rest: I never struggle. Nothing is further from the truth. The last few weeks, I have felt rough. When I say rough I mean ROUGH. Last Wednesday was the worst day I had experienced. I knew it was past time to say something and
Why me is not a question I remember ever asking. Why is a question I have asked probably a billion times. My academic training and natural curiosity make sure why is a question I ask, probably, way too much. Several years ago, I was having a conversation with a friend and fellow political scientist. Our