WHEELS FOR LIFE ~ Lessons from Those Around You

Hello to all, and I hope everyone is well. I know its been some time since my last entry. So much in my life has changed—some glitter and gold moments and some rough patches, but that is the beauty of life!  As the holidays approach, I often begin to reflect on the many things in my life that I am thankful for. Today, I want to touch on the appreciation I have for the lessons my mother has taught me, and how small the world seems at times.

In my last entry, I talked about the difficulties of going to a job interview at a site that was not exactly accessible. Since then, I have gone on two marvelous interviews with what seems to be an amazing organization that promotes arts and education. As it stands now, I have a third interview coming up with them next month. After my interview at the inaccessible place, it would have been so easy to become discouraged and give up—because let’s face it—we are living in difficult times despite our capacities or credentials. Opportunities that were available are much more limited now. But I am one to believe in hope and overcoming, not simply because of my resilience, but because of words my mother has shared with me throughout my life. I can remember times when I expressed to my mom that I felt defeated or slighted in some way, and she would say to me, “Tamara do not give up. Do not fall into what people may say or think about who you are or what they may think you can do. You have proved what you can do your whole life, and look at how far you have come.” Sometimes, when I stop and reflect, I am so humbled by and thankful for the wisdom my mother instilled (and continues to instill) in me to this day. If I do get the position as an art therapist, I will not only be thankful and proud of my own efforts, but I will be especially thankful for the fighting and hopeful spirit that my mother passed on to me.

On a brisk Friday evening about a week ago, one of my dearest friends and I went to a holiday party for a managed care organization that helps people with disabilities get the services they need (home care, mobility care, medical care, etc.). I was excited to be going to the party with my friend (she and I always seem to have a great time no matter where we go), but I was definitely not prepared for all the amazing people I would run into that night, some of whom I knew, some of whom thought they knew me from the past (but I didn’t quite remember them), and some that I had never met before. What amazed me were how many people were there that night; all in the dining hall with gleeful smiles and laughter, and all connected to one another in some way. It was empowering.  Instead of shunning others or feeling shamed by our differences, we celebrated them. I realized that night how true the whole theory of “six degrees of separation” is, and how we are all connected to one another just through the opportunity of living.

I wish you all a happy and special holiday season!

Tamara Morgan is an art therapist and social worker in the South Bronx and a graduate of NYU’s Steinhardt School for Art Therapy. Diagnosed at birth with osteogenesis imperfecta, a condition that makes her bones abnormally fragile, Tamara writes about conquering NYC as an individual with a disability.