Winter Adventures with Cerebral Palsy!!!

I have heard before that laughter is a coping mechanism, and it is kind of said in a negative connotation like: oh, you’re just coping. Personally, I think that laughter is by far one of the best ideas God came up with. I don’t use humor to avoid the manifestations of my disability. I use it to make the bad stuff seem less bad. There are parts of everyone’s life that truly do suck, but the quality of your life is really dependent upon how you react to those problems.

Over the years, I have discovered that winter and living with a physical disability is not exactly the best combination in the world because of the challenges it creates. It is almost impossible to navigate a power wheelchair through the snow, so during the winter months, I am reliant on my friends and family for transportation. This is probably going to sound really stupid, but my dad and I keep having this reoccurring dream where I get stuck in the snow, and I have to call him to come dig me out.

However, these challenges have also created memories, which made for some hilarious stories later.

I am so fortunate to have an amazingly dynamic group of friends who always manage to keep life exciting, no matter what we go out and do. The other day, one of my friends came to pick me up, so that we could go out for dinner. Without realizing it, she parked close to a pile of snow on our driveway. Even though she offered to move the car, I told her not to worry about it. When I finally reached the car door, I fell sideways into the snow bank beside the car.

My first initial thought was, “Becca, why do you have to be so stubborn all time?!”

All I could do was laugh. After I had calmed down enough, I got up on my hands and knees and crawled into the passenger’s seat of her car.

While things like the frigid winter weather and maneuvering my body into a car can be difficult, I refuse to let it stop me from doing what I want to do.

Remember, we all screw up sometimes. The ability to laugh at yourself, and what is happening to you makes life so much easier,