A lesson learned

In my work over the past several months I have encountered two different people with the same disability of cerebral palsy. Both seemed to be pretty mild cases. Both were able to hold jobs. However, they were disabled. They were different. One was married, one was not (but informed me with a smile that he was looking).

Both of these gentleman had something in common besides their disability. They seemed to have deep joy. They were jolly, kind, funny. This has stuck with me over the weeks/months. So many of us complain about our circumstances, about the things we are currently facing. However, these gentlemen have something that cannot be changed, and they seemed genuinely happy.

One of these men was a cashier at a local store. I had forgotten my check book and had to run get it. Although it was close by, I realized I was inconveniencing him and apologized. He replied with "tell me when we have a real problem". I thought that was the neatest reply. I encounter so many people who are ungrateful, who complain at the smallest inconvenience (One man came to me to do his taxes. When he told me that he was filing joint, although his wife was not with him, I informed him that I would need his wife's signature before I could complete the return. He was mortified and stated that he'd always done it without her signature. I informed him that I did things the legal way, and that it was illegal and against policy for him to file without his wife's signature. He was so upset that he took his paperwork and left saying how inconvenient that was). How is it that these individuals with disabilities that I've encountered can be so kind, joyful, patient, without complaints, when they have to deal with the inconveniences of being different, being stared out, not being able to do some things that others can, etc...

I learned a lot from these gentlemen. Those of us without disabilities have much to be grateful for. I know that I take my health for granted. I pray that I will always remember these men and the lessons that they taught me.