The Month Of March...

      March is a pretty good month of the year if you ask me.  It's the month in which winter ends; no more sliding off sidewalks, wet tires unable to grip anything, and no more snow tracks that cover the floors everywhere I roll.  It's also the month when college basketball goes through the roof.  March Madness, the craziest sporting event on TV, besides the Olypics!  I love college basketball, I grew up watching younger brother play on a local basketball team for years.  I'm a huge Hoosier fan, you can say whatever you want!
      It's a time where I can be like all of the other insane college basketball fans.  I feel like I fit in somewhat.  Whether it's yelling at the refs due to a bad call, screaming at the players, being all decked out in the team colors, or cheering because the team just won and are getting tons of high fives from strangers.  When I'm out at the grocery store or a restaurant wearing the team's shirt and someone says, "nice shirt!"  For that moment they don't judge me by my wheelchair, they don't see my disability, they just see me as another fan.
      But the most important thing in March for me is Disability Awareness, as you already may know.  To me every month is Disbility Awareness month, especially March.  I share my story to churches, schools, day care programs, and nursing homes.  It's my chance to be heard, my chance to be seen as a "normal" person.  When people come up to me after I share my story, they always say, "you're such an inspiration!"  Well that's great, but you could be one too by volunteering your time at a center for the disabled, donating some money or food, or become a personal assistant.  We, the disabled, that's who we consider as inspirations.  I don't see myself as an inspiration, I see them all around me, in my life.