Enjoying the Little Things

How often do you just stop and take life in? It can get pretty crazy. People passing people. Work, school, gym, family. Chaos. I fell into the cycle and I still find myself stuck there sometimes. It wasn’t until my life got to it’s craziest that I realized the importance of taking everything in. It wasn’t until I lost the use of my hands that I realized how much we use them. It wasn’t until I lost the strength in my diagram that I realized how incredible a deep, chest expanding, lung opening breath felt after going on a long run. It wasn’t until I lost strength in my vocal cords that I realized how fulfilling it felt to nail a high note in my truck while blasting my music driving to work. The ability to jump right out of bed and start my day. The feeling of grass on my bare feet or sand between my toes. The simplicity of dropping a gear and ripping through a turn on my motorcycle. What it feels like to have nice hot shower water hit your whole body. The need to not have to worry about fitting into a restaurant or a friends house. The feeling of a back rub. Hell, even the pain of stubbing a toe or limping around after leg day at the gym. This list of my grievances could on for forever but that isn’t my point. My point is the importance of the small stuff that gets pushed to the back burner during the stresses of the day. 

My spinal cord injury has forced me to accept a lot of help and a lot of things that I never thought I would need. I often get hit with waves of nostalgia when I think back to how simple and easy things were for me. I laugh at my old trials. This has trumped any problem that I had before. With this injury has come a huge appreciation for the small things in life. 

Even now, as I sit here tapping away at my iPad Pro, I forget that this huge piece of technology was a gift from a nonprofit that just wanted to help. I move it around and drop it on the floor or smudge the screen with food and don’t think twice about it because, hey I got it for free, right? What an asshole thing to think. I use this thing for everything and it helps me navigate my life through adaptive technology and I can’t even stop to appreciate what I’ve been given?  It’s just a small example in the grand scheme of things but it’s still a good example. 

Little things turn into big things quickly. Small gestures also mean the most. Maybe it’s the paralysis in me talking, but I truly appreciate simple acts of kindness and I feel like I see it more now than ever. It’s funny how the situation you’re in can influence how you see things. Able bodied Josh tried to see the good in people and help out if I could. Maybe that’s some good karma to explain why so many people help me? I was also extremely competitive and took on life as a challenge. I guess in a way that hasn’t changed. Paralyzed Josh tries to sympathize with people and see things from their points of view. I also had to learn to accept help.

Small gestures. People holding the door so I can get my chair inside. Friends and family helping with yard work. My parents shoveling the entire driveway before I’m even up for the day. People making ramps to get me into their homes. People, companies, communities and organizations donating so I could have an incredible accessible home made. Family planning their vacations around wheelchair accessibility (no easy feat). I notice it all and I appreciate it so much!

I only try to bring awareness to this because I can see a lot of it in hindsight. Life is all about change and rolling with the punches and some of that means going through the daily grind. Just don’t forget to enjoy what you have and enjoy what you have coming for you. So now I have to ask, will you stop and take life in?

God Bless.