Perspective

Perspective: “the ability of someone to take into consideration and potentially understand the interpretations, outlooks, or actions of their self and of other people.” (psychologydictionary.org)

One of the greatest lessons I have learned since Christopher was born is perspective. I sincerely try to write and share pieces of our life simply for a bit of insight. I want people to know what our life is like raising a child with significant needs. My ultimate hope is to share struggles and triumphs in a graceful way. I never want to come across as complaining or that I’m sharing for sympathy. Believe me, your sympathy is the last thing I want.

My hope is that I come across as grateful, trying to share the silver lining where I can. Yes, there will be days when the silver lining is extremely hard for me to see. And I have my days where grief takes over. I could make a list of things to be angry about but I’m not going to. I can’t change our life, the only thing I can do is live the best way I know how. The only thing I can do is embrace it and run with it. I was blessed with a positive attitude. Always seeing the good in people, always giving second chances, and more often than not, finding something (anything) to be grateful for.

Our world has shifted since Christopher came into our lives. Our perspective has changed. We know grief. We know tragedy. Heartache is a friend of ours. Disappointment and fear also lurk near us daily. There isn’t a day that goes by that I forget we have a child with a life threatening disorder. We also know countless of other parents who know the same and live it just as we do. But instead of getting stuck in the negative and counting the ways we were dealt a bad hand, I look beyond that and now know the truly important things in life.

I don’t sweat the small stuff. Material things don’t have much value to me anymore. My tolerance for fake or disingenuous people is gone. My appreciation and love for those who have stuck by us has only grown. I have met so many amazing parents of children like Christopher and treasure their friendships more than I thought possible. I don’t really care what people think of me. I don’t keep up with the Joneses. I will never just share the “highlight” reel of life.

I share our life so that you too can gain perspective. I want to teach a few of the lessons that Christopher has taught us. Gratitude. Love. Patience. Appreciation. And perspective.