Slung

"So in being in a sling have you learned anything about people with disabilities?"

No.

But it was a good question. You see the thing I realize is that people with disabilities...we ignore the fact that they are different. We act like we don't notice their blind or they only have one hand. (Unless your Justin...then you point it out every time you can). But in all seriousness we try desperately to ignore the fact they are different when they and we know they are not. We act like they don't need special help, like they can live a "normal" life, that we accept them without reservations or assumptions. And none of that is true. Correct?

What if that's not the way it's supposed to be? What if it's cool that this person needs a different type of book or this other person needs a special steering wheel? What if they want to be asked? What if they want to talk?

"My Mom was addicted to crack cocaine so I didn't develop correctly in the womb. I have one hand. My Mom, has been clean for 5 years. God is good."

"I attempted suicide when I was 20. Thus I cannot walk or talk. But I survived, God is good."

"I was in a house fire when I was 3 years old. I survived. God is good."

But with an injury. With an evident cast or sling or crutches. We assume everyone has a hero story and wants to talk. "Dude what happened?" "As if you haven't heard it enough, what's the story?" "What the hell did you do to your arm?"

What if I don't want to talk about it? What if my story is that I'm a cop out? I escape my lifes problems by blaring my ipod and strapping myself to a board? That I'm cocky and tried a trick way beyond my level? That I fear confrontation, jealousy and rage and instead of working through emotions I take them out on myself and my board?

What if I hate thinking about the fact that I rode again? What if I hate the fact that the inability to use my arm is my own fault? What if I hate the reminder that I must constantly ask for help?

Being disabled and having an injury are two different things. I think sometimes when you've been forced to live with it all your life. You can come to terms with being different. But when it's temporary...it's different.

But mostly I think we're asking the wrong people the wrong questions.