I insulted a disabled person yesterday.\u00a0 I did not mean to.<\/p>\n
Maybe it was that I was\u00a0too busy and wasn’t thinking since my book Sexpot With Stretch Marks\u00a0<\/em>had just\u00a0launched that I made a boo boo.\u00a0\u00a0 Or that I was in a rush that I didn’t survey the situation correctly.\u00a0 But was I wrong?\u00a0 I ran to the grocery store for onions to make soup.\u00a0 I had the baby in my left arm and grabbed a basket to hold with my right hand.\u00a0 My thirteen year old texted me a list for “Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, Cheddar Chex Mix, Waffle bowls, and a Coke.”\u00a0 I do not like buying that stuff, but especially on a regular basis.\u00a0 It’s hard for me to fight it.\u00a0 I’m the organic, non-GMO type.\u00a0\u00a0My son had\u00a0been helpful around the house, so after I grabbed the onions, I started towards the end of the aisle to get the junk food.\u00a0 I looked back instinctively.<\/p>\n I saw a man who was in a wheelchair and was missing\u00a0both of his legs.\u00a0 He was looking at jelly.\u00a0 He was scanning all of the different brands\u00a0with his eyes.\u00a0 I went over to him and said, “I’m short, but can I help you?”\u00a0 He shrugged me off and shook his head.\u00a0 I almost wanted to feel embarrassed that I had insulted him.\u00a0 But my intention was kindness.\u00a0 Maybe it was wrong, but I would do it again.\u00a0 I will never be one of those zombie people who walk around unaware of people around them.\u00a0 I’m an observer.\u00a0 I have needed help and didn’t want to ask.\u00a0 I’ve had people offer help and I refused out of pride.\u00a0\u00a0 I have learned to be strong and allow help.\u00a0 I want to stay a helper.<\/p>\n As I went through checkout with\u00a0my son’s junk food stash and my onions, I heard the double amputee laughing with one of the checkers. I saw him pushing a cart with one hand, wheeling his chair with the other.\u00a0 I proceeded to the parking lot.\u00a0 I saw the man loading up his groceries into his trunk.\u00a0 I loaded up mine in the next aisle.\u00a0 I watched out of the corner of my eye.\u00a0 He was alone.\u00a0 No one was in the car.\u00a0 He rolled his chair over to the driver door and opened it.\u00a0 He climbed in.\u00a0 He collapsed his chair and put it in his car.\u00a0 I thought what I watched was amazing.\u00a0 To him, it’s life.<\/p>\n I asked myself what would I be like in his situation.\u00a0 How many people would be driven to the store or\u00a0get groceries delivered?\u00a0 Some would have to because they would not have the upper arm strength to do what he did.\u00a0 I have no judgement there.\u00a0 I wondered where I was using something in my own life that someone else was not using in theirs.\u00a0 Sometimes I use my kids as an excuse for not being able to do something for my business.\u00a0 What limitations that I have been using are not really real?\u00a0 What if the new way would just become part of life?<\/p>\n And what would you do?\u00a0 Was I wrong?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I insulted a disabled person yesterday.\u00a0 I did not mean to. Maybe it was that I was\u00a0too busy and wasn’t thinking since my book Sexpot With Stretch Marks\u00a0had just\u00a0launched that I made a boo boo.\u00a0\u00a0 Or that I was in a rush that I didn’t survey the situation correctly.\u00a0 But was I wrong?\u00a0 I ran…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":568,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n