Being born with a genetic condition means that so many of my 'endings' may already be set in stone. When I was born, my orthopedic doctor called my entire family into a conference room and said "she won't ever be taller than 3ft, she'll have normal to above average intelligence, will mostly be dependent on her wheelchair..." My mother used to tell me that it was like listening to a fortune teller because he was right on the money! But as I've grown with the O.I. I have learned that while my 'ending' may already be known and much of it may even be out-of-my-hands, where I begin is completely within my control! 

With that said, I'm going to tell the story of how this blog began: 

It was early last Spring and I had barely managed to sludge through the previous year. I did things because I had to. I went about my day-to-day routine because it was what was expected of me and felt nothing towards any of it. I cared very little about what I was doing, and even less about where I was headed. Needless to say it was a very half-hazard way to live: halfhearted, uncaring, and aimless; this was quite a different Sandy than those around me had come to know. 

My friend M, who has known me since high school, finally suggested that I start a blog. We were eating ice cream (something we do quite often) and I was complaining about my various problems once again. That was when he said the words that would bring me back to who I am, what I enjoy doing, and help me change the outlook I had on my life at the time. M suggested that I start a blog that gave parents of kids, and even kids themselves with OI tips on living life with brittle bones.
My immediate reaction to his idea was to roll my eyes and laugh. "Yeah right. That sounds ridiculous. Who is going to read it? And why would anyone care? Everyone has a different life, I can't offer anything." 

The change didn't come quickly. M went back to Wyoming a few weeks later and I still hadn't started a blog. It was in the back of my mind but I doubted myself: What could I possibly offer to someone else living with OI? I'm still so young and don't have enough life experience! The other piece that was difficult was how uncomfortable I was in recognizing that I even have a disability to begin with. I didn't meet another person with OI until around the time the blog began, and rarely spoke about it among friends and family. The thing was, I didn't even know how to write about my own disability. I had never actually formulated concrete thoughts on it or taken the time to recognize how I felt towards it. OI was a fairly non-central part of my life despite, oddly enough, being embedded in my day-to-day existence. While this piece of my identity has definitely grown, I still have quite a ways to go!
But the thing that got to me was something M and I both know to be all too true - I love writing. Writing has always been able to get me out of every rut I was ever in; so why shouldn't this one be any different? One day I just said to hell with it, why not? I wasn't doing anything else I was particularly proud of or cared for, and so the blog began in May! We've passed the 6month mark last month and it's been quite the adventure! Infinite thank you's go to ALL OF YOU for helping me with this journey! 

Not only am I doing much better and found a rejuvenated sense of purpose & direction in other areas of life - but I've learned so much about YOU, and about the person I hope to become. 

So remember: stay true to yourself and always, always, when in doubt - go back to the thing you love.