Health and Disability It's Your Year!

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Any New Year’s Resolutions? You know, that to-do list for the first week of January... And then you forget about it until the next year comes...

What is a New Year's Resolution? Usually an empty promise to ourself to lose weight, to stop smoking, to start volunteering more...

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Well, in the case of disabilities, we don't tend to have the time or energy to worry about new 'resolutions'. Our resolution is always the same, not just year after year but even month after month and day after day... to just reach our best health. Yes, I'd like to lose weight, to give more, to just be a better version of me, but health holds more value than anything else in this life. People who have never experienced a true impairment in their health do not fully understand what they have.

Good health is a gift.

We are not entitled to be healthy. There is a common negative view of people who become disabled later in their life - that if they just took care of themself more they would be healthy. If we just worked out more, ate our apple a day, took vitamins or even just prayed more... then maybe we would be healthy too. I will say it again - good health is a gift.

If you have that gift, then cherish it and treasure it.

For those who did not receive the good health gift this Christmas - you have an even more precious gift. You have the gift of being able to truly see the beauty in life.

I know when you are passed out on the floor or your bladder involuntarily decides to pay homage to Niagra Falls at a dinner party or the fatigue knocks you flat on your ass, it aint even close to 'beautiful'. But when you face the pain and struggle every day, every single day, you become humble to what you can not control. Like a Monk that sits with pain and silence for days on end - we begin to see the little moments. The little moments that others pass by as they run to get the new Iphone or to post there latest selfie on Instagram.

Life has knocked us to our knees. But from our knees we can see the world and the beauty that lies in every inch of it.

Here is my message...

New Year's Resolutions are a joke. If you are healthy, instead take the time to appreciate your gift. If you must have a resolution, make your resolution to spend time understanding what it is like to live with disabilities. Through that you will find more happiness as you become more appreciative. You will also be taking one step to closer to making the world a little more understanding.

If you have disabilities, let's make it our resolution to help those who are less fortunate in seeing life the way we get to. And let's also continue with our life resolution to reach our best health. Maybe the apple a day or keeping hydrated is not getting you to your optimal health, but let's work together to find new ways to make it happen. We have been blessed to learn our lessons through the illness and pain, now let's do our best to reach our best health and share the lessons we have learned.

This is your year. A year for health, understanding and miracles.

About the Author

Caylee Shea is a columnist for Disabled World, Caylee raises awareness for people with chronic illness and disabilities. Her purpose is to bring us all together- all of us delightful weirdos and proud gimps! Whatever your level of disability - especially if it is a hidden disability - life can be very lonely. Through her hardships, Caylee has learned to never give up and to enjoy the little things in life.

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Disabled World provides general information only. Materials presented are never meant to substitute for qualified professional medical care. Any 3rd party offering or advertising does not constitute an endorsement.