Thus far I feel I’ve made the most of my capabilities, but I
can also understand why people feel the need to encourage me. I know many see
me as someone who is continuously overcoming the obstacles and beating the
odds. Such people are very impressed with my accomplishments at university, and
are even surprised by my ability to live independently. So it’s unsurprising
that on various occasions, friends, family and strangers too, have felt the
need to express their encouragement.
Although these gestures may be very genuine and I make an
effort to accept them graciously, they make me feel quite uncomfortable - after
all, this is my life. From my perspective, I am simply going about my days,
doing what I have to do to live like many others. I am making the most out of
what I have, and being or doing anything less really seems foolish to me. That’s
why I am often unsure of what to do when people go out of their way to encourage
me.
One stranger in particular caught me off guard - she was
wowed that I was shopping in the dollar store by myself. The fact of the matter
is, I may need help from various people for many things, but I am also capable
of many things, and I do not believe doing them is a very great accomplishment.
The fact that anyone would expect less from me is a scary thought. If I did
succumb to my limitations then what would become of me? This is a question I
often ask myself, because it is no joke.
Sometimes I do struggle, and doing as much as I would like
to is very difficult; but in the end, the effort I put in is worth it because
there is nothing better to do with my time. It is almost as if the end
justifies the means - that is to say, if I relinquished my active lifestyle in
the hopes of minimizing struggles, I would have no productivity to show for the
hurdles I would still inevitably face. My accomplishments make the challenges I
encounter in the midst of everything even more worthwhile.
So keep on rolling in the city, and know you are capable of
much more then what it takes to make people proud.
~ Chantal
