For the first year or so after an accident that left me paralyzed in a wheelchair, my disability was in the driver’s seat. That was necessary to help me learn and adapt to the world from my new, seated position so I don’t have regrets, but it was a lot. A lot of uncertainty, a lot of trying (and failing), and a lot of brain power spent on a part of my identity that doesn’t define me, not even close. All those things are necessary to be comfy with my disability, but I’m glad it’s all behind me. Letting my disability control my life is boring, and it’s wearisome.
It’s easy to get stuck in routines of letting our condition rule our lives, though, isn’t it? Maybe you have a change in your physical appearance, you’re going through a mentally hard time, or even someone close to you is struggling. We get wrapped up, and we let it consume us.
If I can be so brave to make commands: don’t. Don’t define yourself by what’s going on in your life – no matter how permanent or temporary it is – but instead by how you handle yourself in the midst of it. How you act and interact with the world and the people around you are the greatest testimony to your character.