In a previous post I had mentioned that there are a handful of things I wish I could do but I can't, for everything else I have figured out an alternative. Here are those 5 things:


1. Run a marathon. Well, I wish I could run in general. I'm a sucker for all things fast and speedy. But there is something about marathon runners that's incredibly dedicated and determined. To be able to say "I pushed my body through 26miles.." is probably something I won't be able to do any time soon.

2. Snowboard down a mountain. A lot of my friends snowboard. No, I don't want to ski - I want to snowboard. My friends make it sound cool and it looks awesome! Besides there aren't too many ways I can really enjoy winter and the never-ending piles of cold white stuff that we get here in the Northeast. To race down a mountain on a board, fly through the air while you're doing gravity-defying turns and flips, and then land upright (hopefully) -- what's not to love?!

3. Diving into a waterfall. I can't really explain this one but it's just something I want to do.

4. Climb stairs in my wheelchair. This would solve a lot of my day-to-day problems, not to mention it would make it SO much easier to hang out with my friends (most of whom are not wheelchair users). Not only are these special chairs way out of my budget but I also doubt my health insurance would ever say yes, climbing stairs in your chair would dramatically improve your physical health - we will buy it for you. Even if I did somehow manage to get one in my possession some day, I would probably still be paranoid of it malfunctioning in the middle of the staircase or something! What can I say? I'm suspicious of technology..

5. Stop breaking. This would be the ULTIMATE dream for me - but it's not something I've figured out how to do yet. I know, I know, we can't STOP breaking but we can do our best to prevent fractures from happening and strengthen our bodies so that fractures are not as frequent -- but don't we ALL wish we could just STOP already?!


For everything else that I have ever wanted to do that may have seem slightly ... impossible.... I have either just done it with all the risks & consequences in mind, or I have been lucky enough to find an alternative. As someone who is an adult, my capacity to "just deal with it" is a lot greater than when I was five years old, and unable to "deal" with not being able to run around with my friends. There isn't an easy answer to teaching kids that unfortunately their disability is limiting in some capacity.


(Major bonus points & automatic friend for life if you message me telling me how I CAN do one or more of those things).

Tips on "getting over it" :

• Instead of saying "You can't" it's less harsh and less definitive if you said "I'm not sure..." or "I don't know..." 
• Don't bullshit. At a certain age it's appropriate to cover things up and say "well you can't go on the Superman roller coaster but the kiddie one is just as fun!" But after a certain age we all know that's just not true. Being honest and owning up to the facts and reality builds on a younger person's ability to cope. "I worry that you might get seriously hurt if you went onto the 'bigger' kids' rides.." is legitimate, honest, and also introduces the idea of consequences
• Personally I have 'gotten over it' by finding things that only I can do well that other kids aren't able to do as well. These are things that I am passionate and interested in, practice a lot of because I enjoy doing it, and have found my own 'thing' to hold over other peoples' heads and have THAT be out of reach for THEM
• Allow the time and ability to express how upsetting it is to not be able to do something. Brushing it off and moving forward too quickly is just another way of 'covering things up' and it will feel like you are not legitimizing a young child's feelings or dilemmas