Tag Archives: Gratitude

Day 784

Those who make lemonade out of lemons will always end up on top – that’s what I keep learning 🙂

It’s 3 : 30 PM on day 784 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, stretch my hamstrings, practice sitting up straight to strengthen my core muscles, feed myself a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast, practice sitting some more and practice typing with both hands.

Today I watched LOOK AT YOURSELF AFTER WATCHING THIS – a video about Nick Vujicic a guy who has no arms or legs but has a great a great attitude (thanks to my friend, Laura, for tweeting me the link to this video) – I could really relate to Nick’s attitude of gratitude because I, like him, choose (and make no mistake about it, it is a choice) to be grateful for all the things I have instead of focusing on the few things I don’t have. Watch Nick’s amazing story:

(Note: This post was meant to be published on 5 November 2012 but that wasn’t possible due to technical difficulties)

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Day 779

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Family is really like fudge …often sweet with a few nuts – that’s what I keep learning 🙂

It’s 4 : 20 PM on day 779 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself All Bran Flakes for breakfast, publish my Disability of the Day feature, work – today’s my last day Alice Pyne – a 16-year-old who’s dying of cancer inspired me to quit life’s too short to do something you sort of like doing I’m going to focus on becoming more independent and blogging full time I want to prevent special needs parents from making the same mistakes my parents made with me – help out my friend and watch TV.

Today is crazy at our house both my sister and my brother didn’t go to school – my sister only has to go to school when she has an exam this being her final high school exams and my brother wanted to stay home and study for his Social Studies test – and although they drive me crazy and irritate me sometimes having them here makes me realize I wouldn’t choose a life without them in it even if I could I know that me having Cerebral Palsy hasn’t been easy for them either but they’re hanging in there with me I am BEYOND GRATEFUL for that. Do you appreciate your family for who and what they are?

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Day 766

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Nobody’s perfect– that’s what I keep learning 🙂

It’s 3 : 30 PM on day 766 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, publish my Disability of the Day feature, work, get my eyes tested – it was a mission and a half I could do the quick test because I had to lean in for the machine to take a picture of my eyes and my core muscles weren’t strong enough to do that so the optometrist used the long method (she had me sit on a chair and asked me to read letters on a screen with different lenses on each time and asked is this better) after she was done with the test she confirmed that I was indeed short-sighted on the bright side I got to meet some fantastic people first, this elderly woman who came up behind me and asked my mother can she hear me when I talk after I replied yes I can we had a lovely conversation and then there was the doctor I could cry just thinking about her usually when I got to the doctor they ask my parents questions about me even after they realize I’m not mentally handicapped but this doctor talked directly to me and seemed to be sincerely interested in my life outside of my eye problem I think she really got that Cerebral Palsy only affected my mobility she said as much when I was raking my mother over the coals for sounding so sad when she said I had Cerebral Palsy – and feed myself rice and curry for lunch.

This morning it occurred to me that we as children (it doesn’t matter how old you are you’ll always be a child to your parents) are quick to point out all the things our parents did wrong and slow to praise for all the things they did right so today I would like to say thank you daddy for driving me to all my appointments and paying all my medical bills and thank you mommy for cooking, cleaning and helping me when I need help. Do you forgive people their trespasses against you because you know that they aren’t perfect and neither are you?

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Day 760

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Blessed is he or she who never loses the wonder of being alive– that’s what I learned today 🙂

It’s 1 : 16 PM on day 760 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself All Bran Flakes and apple for breakfast, publish my Disability of the Day feature, work and watch TV.’

This morning looking through our dining room window at the blue sky and huge trees I realized (again) how fortunate I was to be alive no matter what we’re going though in life I don’t think we should ever lose sight of the fact that we are alive. Have you lost the wonder of being alive?

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Day 758

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Fake it till you make it– that’s what I learned today 🙂

It’s 2 : 22 PM on day 758 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to stretch my hamstrings, brush my teeth, practice sitting up straight to strengthen my core muscles, practice typing with both hands, publish my Disability of the Day feature, feed myself a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and watch TV.

Today has not been the best of days it looks more like winter than spring, my digestive system has been giving me all sorts of issues oh well at least I’m alive and I have my family I’m going to smile and be grateful even though I have enough reasons not to. Do you often fake it till you make it?

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Day 741

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Most of us hold on to all the wrong things in life– that’s what I keep learning 🙁

It’s 3 : 44 PM on day 741 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, publish my Disability of the Day feature, publish my Kid of the Week feature, practice typing with both hands, work, feed myself a fish wrap for lunch and listen to music – I LOVE LOVE LOVE The Middle by Lauren Alaina.

Today my parents were complaining about how people wronged them and I remember saying let it go we as human beings hold on to grudges, bitterness and everything else we’re not supposed to be holding on to while we should be holding on to moments with the people we love that we’ll never get back my family gets annoyed with me when I preach gratitude and peace but really what’s the point of being angry, bitter and all the rest we only get one ride through this life might as well fill the world with love, light and fun. Do you hold on to all the wrong things in life?

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Day 725

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You learn more from the life you have than you probably would have had you had the life you wanted – that’s what I keep learning 🙂

It’s 6 : 26 PM on day 725 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, publish my Disability of the Day feature, work, feed myself a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast, drink hot chocolate by myself, exercise my legs to keep my hamstrings stretched – feed myself rice and curry for lunch and go to physiotherapy – I did great this week too according to my physiotherapist 🙂

This morning after I typed a thirteen letter sentence with both my hands I was so happy and proud of myself that’s one of the things I love most about having Cerebral Palsy I appreciate the fact that I can see, hear and talk because I know that not everybody can do those things in the same way that I can’t walk most non-disabled people (I’m just telling you what I perceive to be true) don’t have that attitude of gratitude because they can do things so easily. Are you learning a lot from the life you have even though it’s not exactly the life you would have picked out for yourself?

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Day 691

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It’s okay not to feel chipper all the time – that’s what I keep learning 🙂

It’s 5 : 31 PM on day 691 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself Chapati, chicken, baked potato and scrambled eggs for breakfast, drink apple juice by myself, exercise my hands, feed myself Pasta for lunch, send my story to Longevity magazine – they might be doing a story on me and my Clean Water for All Campaign God knows why I was just doing my part to make this world a better place 🙂 – and listen to music.

Last night (August 3^rd) laying in bed thinking about what my physiotherapist said in the afternoon you did good today I was both happy and irritated happy because I knew I did good and irritated because I knew that non-disabled people probably never had to think about whether their hamstrings were stretched or not I was not jealous it just got to me how most non-disabled walk around oblivious to their blessings complaining about the little things I honestly felt like throwing something. Do you sometimes pretend that you’re okay for the sake of those around you?

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Day 415

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As you grow older your theories change – that’s what I learned today 🙂

It’s 7: 13 PM on day 415 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – no luck other than the donation Chrissy (@ChrissyPappas) made yesterday – thanks again Chrissy :)–publish my Disability of the Day feature, feed myself All-Bran Flakes with banana for brunch, tweet about my campaign some more–still no luck – watch TV, feed myself a baked bean sandwich and grilled chicken for dinner and brush my teeth once more.

Today I read a tweet to me from Amber-Lee (@girlygrizzly) which said I’m SOOOOO sick, but doin! How are YOU doing? Are we getting closer? Are you happy? I’ve been loving your site lately… and I asked myself am I happy to which the answer was yes because four of the following components two of which – gratitude and giving – were components in my original happiness formula come together six out of seven days:

1. Being present: I never think I wonder what my life would been like if I could walk because it’s pointless it won’t serve me in any way although that doesn’t stop my mother from saying things like if my daughter could walk she could have done so many things in front of me when no one else is around.

2. Having faith: I don’t know the Bible off by heart and I am not perfect but over the last couple of years I have learned not to question God after all He has done more with my life than I could have think about it I can’t even go to the bathroom by myself and yet I wake up every day and try to change the world if that’s not God working through me I don’t know what is.

3. Gratitude: In today world where it’s all about accumulation of money and material objects I have found that it’s not how much we have that matters but rather how much we are grateful for my dad is the perfect example of this he has his family, a job, a house, a car, basically everything you would need to live a great life but since all he can see is what he doesn’t have he might as well not have even the things he has.

4. Giving: Once you see all that you have by being grateful you will naturally want others to have as much or more than you do so you will give and when you do give you will realize that that hole in your heart you’ve been trying to fill with things could only be filled by the joy of giving.

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

If you’ve given to my cause or you can’t give now, please help me by sharing my cause with others. You can tweet about it like my friend Stan Faryna. This is the tweet he uses: @Nisha360 is a brave, smart young woman trying to make a better world for us all. Please help her do an amazing thing. http://bit.ly/hC7vOu

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 410

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You can complain about your life and still be grateful– that’s what I learned today 🙂

It’s 7: 28 PM on day 410 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself spring rolls for breakfast, prepare and publish my Disability of the Day feature, feed myself raw mixed vegetables for lunch, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – no luck – continue reading Captive of my Desires by Johanna Lindsey feed myself spaghetti with sauce – I used a fork and made a mess oh well 🙂 – for dinner and brush my teeth once more.

Last night as I struggled to turn myself over so I could get a decent night’s sleep I realized that I would have to work twice as hard to live half the normal life and that made me burst into tears which normally I would have felt guilty about because I would think to myself what do I have to complain about there are kids right now dying of cancer but yesterday I just thought I am grateful but this is so unfair muffled my tears with a pillow – if my family heard me all they would think to say is we’re sorry and frankly at that precise moment I didn’t need that because they don’t get it they’re only affected by my “disability” when they’re with me other times they can go places with stairs and do things without a second thought whereas I on the other hand don’t have the luxury of taking a break from my life I have twice as hard as everybody else does every minute of my life – and went to sleep. Do you put on a brave face and solider on because you fear being labeled an ingrate?

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!