We're on a runaway train to Christmas and New Year's, and thus the holidays are upon us. The holidays are a nice time to spend some quality time with family, eat lots of great food, exchange gifts, revel in the holly jolly spirit, etc. But one of the behind the scenes lifestyle challenges that always crops up this time of year for me is fitting my morning personal care schedule around holiday events. As I've mentioned here and there in the past, I need assistance with a number of my personal cares every morning to get me fully ready for the day. Every other day my morning routine can take up to (or over) three hours; I call them my "long days." Those long days are the ones that can be tricky to work around during the holidays. As much as possible I try to avoid having my long days on any major holiday so it doesn't interfere with things. As many of my fellow quad peeps know, some of the "setbacks" that can occur from parts of our more invasive personal cares can be messy, embarrassing, and can require a decent amount of help getting squared away again. 

The holiday season has descended upon us again. Just in time for the holidays, my shopping mall survival tips. As a self-confessed shopaholic, saying I know a thing or two about navigating a mall from a wheelchair is an understatement.      

Much Love for Disabled Comedians  

When you can't fix a problem, laugh at it. It sounds rather simple, but that's the jist of why I love comedians with disabilities. The key to an awesome person in my opinion is the ability to make fun of one's self.

In this episode of No Free Rides, I was invited on-air at 104.4 Resonance FM in London to be on the disability podcast, Technical Difficulties. During the show host Tim Abbott, a brilliant journalist with mild cerebral palsy, and I discuss the differences in being disabled in the US vs. the UK.

Are you looking for a little inspiration, a little motivation, or a little fuel to get you through the day or a challenging moment in your life? Look no further than your past for that jumpstart you need, that we all need from time to time. Recently, I was asked to give a motivational talk to Seton Hall University's Men's Basketball team and knowing that they are a fairly young and inexperienced team, I shared with them how important it is that they reflect on those moments of success, moments of courage, and moments of resilience to push them forward. The same applies to people with disabilities. No matter what challenge you are experiencing at this very moment, you have a huge arsenal of courageous moments from which you can use to combat those feelings of sadness, depression, unworthiness, hopelessness, you name it. In any moment, you can close your eyes and take yourself back to not just an ordinary moment, but an extraordinary moment in which you or the person with the disability has overcome some type of challenge and has emerged even stronger on the other side of it.

More Encouraging Words  

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