Be Optimistic Through It All

I usually don't come off sounding preachy, but this is a rare exception.

For the past couple of weeks, I have been talking online with a cool ass dude from East Orange. He hit me up first, and he seemed like he was sane (thank God for that lol). He's 20 years old and about to go to college to further his education. At first, his age turned me off, cause dudes that age really don't have much to talk to me about. But this one is very down-to-earth and has a sense of humor (big pluses in my book). I saw a face pic of him already, but one day he asked if I wanted to see his other pics on his Myspace page. I said OK. So as I gazed through his pics, there was one that particularly got my attention...he was in a wheelchair. Of course, I've seen people in wheelchairs before, but I have never had a real conversation with anyone in one before (as crazy as that sounds). Not wanting to offend him, I politely asked him, "What happened to you that you ended up in a wheelchair?" He wasn't offended at all, and he was more than happy to answer my question....that he was born with a spinal cord defect that caused his hips to separate. Hence, he couldn't walk. He had his tough times throughout his life. But his response was, "Such is life." And we all know that going to school with kids can be brutal, especially for someone with a disablility. Hell, they can be some cruel ass bastards sometimes. But in spite of that, he has still managed to keep an upbeat attitude and is extremely independent (since 15, he told me). I was dyin when he told me about his fights and how he whupped some ass in his chair lmao.

After talking with him, it really made me realize how blessed I am and how grateful I should be. If a person who has been in a wheelchair ALL HIS LIFE can focus on the positive even through his disability, then what the hell is my able-bodied ass complaining about? Yes, we are all human and are gonna gripe sometimes because of the problems life brings us (whether it's with our finances, jobs, families, relationships, etc.), but we must realize and always remember that all things work together for our good. Everything we go through happens for reason, and it teaches and shows us just how strong of a person we are. I'm reminded of the Sounds of Blackness song called "Optimistic," and the chorus goes "As long as you keep/Your head to the sky/You can win." My online friend has inspired me to do less complaining and have more gratefulness. I have learned to keep my head to the sky. What about you?