Hello, and welcome to the final blog post of 2024 with Humbly Courageous! I am so glad you stopped by.
What a year it has been. I feel like there was a little bit of everything sprinkled in this year. There were highs and lows as with any year of life. Days when I felt on top of a mountain, and days when I felt deep in the dark valley. After 50 years, I am still learning the fine art of balancing life. Maybe we never fully grasp that concept. One thing is for sure, a look back on this year has me feeling grateful for many things in my life.
This year I received 3 stem cell treatments. # 9, 10 and 11. I am grateful for the opportunity to receive these treatments, and for the time being plan to continue to receive them. I do think they keep me going in a way that I wouldn’t be without them.
I have so enjoyed writing my column, “Disability in the City” for my hometown newspaper, The Hamilton County Reporter. I have now been writing my column for a year. It has been such a fun and healing look back on my life as I have written a lot about memories growing up with a disability. As I write about these things, it’s so eye opening to look back with the perspective I have now. I hope to continue to share about my experiences living disabled in the coming year. I have been blessed to hear from so many, disabled and non disabled people about how my column has helped them, or taught them something they didn’t know about disabilities. I couldn’t ask for more, or think of a more meaningful life’s purpose than to be someone for others that I once needed in my life.
I have also been so excited to start my first freelance writing job with Hamilton County Tourism. I have been able to visit various places in the county where I live, and write about the accessibility of these places. In doing this, I have met some incredible people, and we have worked together to try and make places more accessible as needed. I have really enjoyed this job and have learned a lot along the way!
2024 was a year of two very big milestones. I celebrated by 50th birthday and also 25 years of marriage. Wow, both of those things blow my mind! How can I be 50?! Twenty- five years of marriage has flown by. I am so fortunate to have such a loving and supportive husband. He truly is my rock. Without him, I wouldn’t be half of who I am today. We make a good team. I don’t think I feel 50 yet! Trying to stay young at heart for sure.
I attended my first writer’s conference the past summer, which was definitely outside of my comfort zone. I am so glad for my fellow columnists and writing group, the Word Warriors. These 3 ladies have supported me every step of the way since I started writing for the paper. I have learned so much from them, and they truly fill my heart with so much joy. I learned a lot at the writer’s conference, and I was glad I pushed myself to conquer a lot of anxieties I had going into that experience.
I attended my second Hill Day in Washington, D.C. as an advocate for MDA. It was an incredible experience and I got to reconnect with some of my friends. I met a lot of new friends as well. Joining forces with others who live with Muscular Dystrophy has been life changing for me. Hill Day is a powerful experience, and one I hope to continue in the years to come. Fighting for the rights of those with disabilities will always be of utmost importance to me. I hope to do my part during my time on this earth, to make the world a better and more inclusive place for disabled people.
My first trip overseas happened this year when I traveled to Berlin, Germany for our 5th marathon together, running the Berlin Marathon as a duo bike team. What an amazing trip that was. We were joined by our travel angels, Andy and Michelle. They were so helpful to us, and we had a lot of fun! We went, and we conquered our first overseas trip with the duo bike. Now we have more confidence to finish our other overseas marathons in the future. I even danced on my own two feet at my first German fest experience. My husband did most of the dancing and literally held me up, but still, I was out there. I will never forget it.
I celebrated my 6th diagnosis day. Since being officially diagnosed 6 years ago, I feel like a new life has begun for me. I am so proud of all I have been able to accomplish in these past 6 years. It truly feels like a brand new lease on life. I am free from the shackles of uncertainty that I was chained to for 44 years. Sometimes, I still can’t believe that I finally was diagnosed. That is truly a miracle that has taken place in my life.
I have been able to be mom to two of the greatest boys ever. I have watched them grow, helped them through some challenges and learned a lot being their mom. They have my heart and always will. They are the driving force that keeps me going in this life. I can’t believe my baby boy is a senior and will be leaving the nest next year. An empty nest. A thought I keep pushing out of my head, but I know soon I must face that reality. It will certainly take some adjustment not having him here. I know though from watching my oldest grow into an adult, that there are so many more great things to come in watching them find their way in life. It’s not always easy, but making sure they know they have a safe place in me, is my biggest goal in life. As they have gotten older, it has been so special to hear from them how having a mom with a disability has shaped their lives in a positive way.
This past year, I have felt some new weakness, and I have had to grieve the loss of some things that I am no longer able to do on my own. That has been more difficult for me mentally than I could have imagined, and has birthed some new anxieties within me. I am feeling a sense of urgency to do things before I no longer am able. Those thoughts can be extremely overwhelming at times because I know there is not enough time or capacity to do all the things I desire to do. Letting go is painfully difficult.
I conquered the “big hill” another time, and I have consistently continued my regular exercise. One thing I know for sure is that I will go down fighting with all I have in me. I am eternally grateful for the unique insight that my disability gives me in life. I have learned to appreciate more and more the view from where I sit, and I search for all the things I can learn from my perspective.
My simple goal for next year is to continue to practice gratitude for the small things in life. I have said it many times, but for me, that changes everything. That can turn the darkest of thoughts around in an instant. The more I practice it, the easier it is to turn things around faster. Life is not perfect for anyone, and never will be. Striving for perfection leads to unhappiness. Striving to live the best you can with what you’ve got, and prioritizing helping others with your wisdom, leads to fulfillment.
Cheers to another year. I am excited for the new things that will hopefully come my way this year! Thanks for being here, and supporting Humbly Courageous. Living with humble courage isn’t always the easy thing to do, but it is the most meaningful and impactful way that I have found to live life. 💚
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