Lackluster Holidays

Is Presidents day really a holiday? Federally, it is observed by closing federal offices. Most schools and universities are also closed, some for an entire week like NYC schools are. But... do we actually observe it as a society? If you look at how it is officially spelled (with no apostrophe), it tells us that the day does not belong to a particular president nor to all of the presidents as a whole. It is a day that we, as a country, honor past and current presidents. But, admit it, how many of you have heard the names Tyler, Hayes and Pierce? There's really only a handful of presidents our society actually knows universally, not counting the last 30 years let's say. Even if you can name 15 presidents that only a third of the total. Shouldn't it be important that we know why we celebrate a certain holiday and whom we are celebrating?

Perhaps the great lack of interest in politics we have as a society has something to do with it. Certainly we must have a certain amount of pride and respect in our current president for Presidents Day to mean more than "woohoo, let's celebrate the great presidents we once had because we may never see another one in office!"

...I'm going to get hate mail for that one, I know it...

No matter what your opinion is of Dubya, you have to admit that our political system as a whole is in shambles and getting worse. Nobody truly observes Presidents Day because the last real memorable act our government did was back in 1990 when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. The sad thing is... we have nobody but ourselves to blame. Our apathy has allowed corruption and greed to take over our government and only we can fix that. Until we force crooked politicians to be accountable for their actions, the situation will remain the same. There are people out there who would probably make excellent politicians and legislators but wouldn't dare set foot in the political arena because they know they would be eaten alive by the money, selfishness and power of the crooked politicians. Beginning to fix the system by getting involved in advocating for accountability is the way we can fix our government and rediscover the pride we have in it... and in Presidents Day.

So why do we celebrate Presidents Day now? That's easy... to get the day off work or school, of course!!! :)

Wheelz-O-Thunder

Wheelz-O-Thunder has been my handle since my senior year of high school and has garnered me a lot of "that's a sweet name," "that's fitting for your crazy driving," and "are you a trucker?" comments over the years. The name has defined me in my online/e-mail "life" but has rarely invaded my "real" life... until this past Saturday.

I was at the San Diego Wild Animal Park with my sister and a family friend enjoying the afternoon. We were going over a wooden footbridge when I hear a woman down below tell her friend she thinks it's going to rain because she hears thunder. My initial reaction was to look up... then it hit me... the sound she was hearing was my wheels rolling over the wooden planks of the footbridge. My friend and I both started cracking up at the same time, which probably only enhanced the thundrous noise the woman was hearing. The situation was extremely funny on its own, but it became absolutely hilarious when the thought of my handle entered my mind.

Later on, as I was left alone to my thoughts, I realized that this was yet another metaphor of life, particularly my life. We must accept the fact that we have an impact on others' lives. I have struggled with this fact for many, many years as I've had countless people tell me that I'm an inspiration or heroic to them. I simply think that I am leading my life as if I didn't have a disability; as "normally" as possible. To me, how can normal be inspirational? To others, however, there is nothing "normal" about my life and yet I have succeeded to get to where I am today. Others wonder in almost a state of bewilderment that I'm standing tall on that proverbial mountain top.

Perspective. Despite how hard one might try to explain to another what he or she experienced or witnessed the other person inevitably will see it in a different light. We must learn to accept this, to accept others' humanity, others' opinions. I must learn to accept I impact the lives of others even when I don't intend to... even when I pass overhead on a wooden footbridge. As a human race, we need to accept that there are billions of perspectives and billions of people who, to them, are seeing things correctly. Difference should be respected at the very least, and an effort made to understand that difference of perspective.

Alternative Pathways Lead... Where?

Today I was sitting in chuch listening to the sermon when I heard a rustling noise coming from the direction of the sanctuary entrance. Now, our entrance is three sets of double doors; one set is propped open to allow entry (and exit) and the other two sets have drapes hung over them... to add to the particular mood of the sanctuary I assume. Knowing this, you could imagine my surprise to see someone coming into the sanctuary, fighting through the drapes. It was an elderly woman (whom I did not recognize) and she was a bit flustered by the difficulty she was having. I'm watching this woman struggle and looking at the wide-open doors ten feet to her left and I couldn't help but wonder if she was suffering from dementia.

A few hours later... as I was thinking about what I had seen earlier, it occurred to me that I had witnessed a metaphor to my life, and I'm sure countless others' lives who have chosen to go against the grain of mainstreamed society. Throughout my life I've been faced with the decision to take the path society has typically chosen (or the path the ignorantly think is best for me) or the path that few people think I can't handle. More often than not, I've taken the path that draws the reaction "that dude is nuts, he'll never make it..." from many people. Taking these seemingly difficult paths, however, have always rewarded me greatly in the end and have revealed characteristics and strengths within me that I didn't know existed.

I'm reminded of Robert Frost's immortal poem The Road Not Taken, and the lines:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

There are two types of people in the world: leaders and followers. Leaders are fearless trailblazers who only become more determined if someone doubts their capabilities. It is these people who leave a lasting impact wherever they go, for better or for worse. It is these people who refuse to let their lives be determined by the perceptions society has of them. Some of us, unfortunately, have irrational stigmas attached to us for simply being who we are. These stigmas govern the 'easy' paths determined for us by soceity, paths that, if we continue to take them, will perpetuate those irrational stigmas. Chosing those alternative pathways, and being confident that you will be successful, forces society to reevaluate how they view you as an individual. One occurrence challenging a person's cognitive perception of a particular person or idea may not be enough to force them to alter their view, but if their cognitive perceptions are challenged enough, eventually they will change.

With this said, do not choose to follow the difficult path to change society... follow those paths for your own benefit. Challenge yourself and you will grow mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically... you will become a man or woman that you will be truly happy with. Everything else in life is just gravy!

Free Samples

I was given a New Yorker cartoon desk calendar for Christmas this year and today's cartoon was a clever one. It was a drawing of a martial arts teacher standing outside the door to his dojo in a busy mall. The teacher had just finished tossing a shopper on the floor. Next to the teacher there was a sign that read, "Free Samples."

Free samples are everywhere... you can try a sample of just about any kind of food if you look hard enough. You can find free magazine trials, movie trials, free cell phones, free services... you are even forcefully given free samples of lotion or perfume in some stores. Joining CD, DVD or book clubs means free items if you promise to buy a certain amount from that club. Free sample marketing seems to have been enmeshed into how our society (America) does business... and it seems to be profitable.

With all these free samples, why is it that none of the important life altering things are offered as free samples? The premise behind offering free samples is the notion that it will intice the recipient to buy the particular item. If this premise is so successful, wouldn't it make sense for humanity to work harder on offering free samples of compassion, peace, love, forgiveness, acceptance, guidance, truthfullness, even smiles. I'm not a naive person, I realize that I'm suggesting a world that very well never exist, I merely hope my readers can close their eyes and imagine a world where we were given free samples of these things. How would you feel living in that world? I, for one, can imagine everyone being treated more equally, including people with disabilities. People of all kinds would be given a chance to prove themselves without being judged unfairly or prematurely. Crime and war would drop because people would be happier with their own lives and see humanity in others.

It never hurts to dream...

The world never will change overnight, but that doesn't mean it will never change. If each of us (you the readers and myself) strive to give out free samples of the "good stuff" we can start changing the world one person at a time.