Finding Good in any Situation

Usually when Friday morning comes along I have a morning routine.  I'll wake up to the heavenly smell of fresh brewed coffee and a warm greeting from my mother.  I'll sit down, sip my coffee, and read about what's going on in the world.

Throughout my entire life I have always been a morning person because I've always had the fear that something exciting would happen in the world, and I would miss it because I was sleeping.  For me, Friday mornings are what I cherish the most.  This is because it gives me the opportunity to spend some quality time with my mom.

My mom and I will talk about movies, the news, school, funny moments, and so much more.  If you sat down and wrote a list of all the topics you can discuss we probably have discussed it at one point or another.  These are the moments that I will always look back on far after my mom has passed.

However, this past Friday morning is one morning that will be at the top of my collection.  When I walked downstairs at 9am my mom immediately gave me a hug and said that "I was the greatest kid in the world."  I responded by telling her that every mother thinks that about their kid.

She smiled a little and said that "everything the doctors said I wouldn't accomplish, I did with flying colors."  This opened the door for a great conversation of all the memories we shared dealing with Cerebral Palsy over the years.  we talked about both the good times and the bad. I say good because it allowed me to reflect on  the person CP has allowed me to be.

We talked about how I used to struggle with braces on my legs and how I used to have to go to therapy while others were playing ball in the park.  However, if it wasn't for therapy, I would have never have met my therapist Bob Zalinski who has been my therapist and friend for 14 years.

We continued to discuss the times when I was made fun of as a little kid because people misunderstood why I walked a little differently then the other kids.  However, if it wasn't for this, I may not have known one of my best friends Justin Hunter who always stuck up for me while this was going on.

We even discussed how CP allows you to appreciate a simple but kind gesture such as holding the door for someone when you see them struggling.  I can go on-and-on because when we were finally finished and I looked at the clock it was 1pm and I wasn't even dressed for the day!  The point I am trying to make though is that if you look hard enough you can find good in any situation.  This includes Cerebral Palsy.


So when nothing seems to be going right and you are in that dark place try finding the good rather then the bad  even if it is the worst thing you have ever encountered. I would like to take credit for that advice but I think my mom deserves the credit on that one!