By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before. – Edwin Elliot

It’s 8: 20  PM on day 562 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, prepare and publish my Disability of the Day feature, feed myself corn for breakfast, drink tea by myself,   work,   feed myself rice and curry  for lunch,  start reading Mockingjay  – the third book in The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins –  watch TV, feed myself corn for dinner, brush my teeth once more and  watch some  more TV.

Last night I was watching X-Men: First Class and there was this one scene in particular where one of the characters Mystique says to Hank – her best friend – Hank, don’t! You’re beautiful, Hank. Everything you are, you’re perfect. Look at all of us? Look at all we’ve achieved this week? All we will achieve? We are different. But we shouldn’t be trying to fit into society. Society should aspire to be more like us. Mutant and proud and he says back to her Well then, it behooves me to tell you, that even if we save the world tomorrow, and mutants are accepted into society, that my feet and your natural blue form will never be deemed beautiful which got me thinking about what it means to be beautiful I concluded that that beauty is the light that shines from within when you embrace yourself fully I guess what I’m trying to say is rock who and what you are if you have to wear glass where the craziest glass possible, if you have to be in a wheelchair use the fact that people come up to you to raise awareness about the condition you suffer from, if you’re losing your hair shave your head… love yourself just the way you are because there will never be another you in the history of humanity. Are you putting something wonderful into this world that was not there before?