Jiffy Lube

There are many assumptions people make when they see me in my wheelchair. People think I’m “poor” or “homeless” or “jobless” or “brain damaged” or any combination. If they talk to me, they talk slowly using small words and look surprised when I answer them.

Yes, it's annoying.

These assumptions are common and there isn’t much I can do about them. I suppose I could paint the back of my wheelchair to read “I have a job, an address, a bank account, and I’m not brain damaged.” – but then I’m pretty sure no one would believe the part about not being brain damaged.

I took my car to get its registration done this week at a Jiffy Lube. The wait was a whole hour and their store wasn’t wheelchair accessible. I mean, I guess most people would say that it was because they had a ramp – but it was almost a 90 degree angle for two feet and then the landing was super narrow. I didn’t dare try so I went to a nearby store to shop around and wait.

The area was really ghetto and seedy and I saw six homeless people walking to and from different surrounding areas as I came back to the Jiffy Lube. I was having trouble pushing through the parking lot that joined the two stores and I was getting super self conscious because I just KNEW the people driving on the nearby main road were judging me. I started to get so mad at…well, everything.

I was mad that people were judging me based on what I looked like – a struggling little wheelchair girl, probably brain damaged and poor. I was mad at the parking lot, why was it shaped this way? I was mad at me – why did I have to be in a wheelchair?

But then I thought about disabled people in other countries. So many don’t even have wheelchairs. They couldn’t push through a seedy parking lot even if they wanted to.

It occurred to me that I could go anywhere I wanted with my wheelchair - anywhere! My wheelchair isn’t my disability – and neither are my lifeless legs – what seems to disable me most is my pride.

And so as I pushed through the parking lot, I discovered the best remedy for pride: gratitude! As I pushed all the way back to the Jiffy Lube and as I endured the many sideways glances from the patrons there, I listed all the things I could think of that I was grateful for.

...and I felt so much better.

So here’s a quick list before bed:

1. pumpkin pancakes
2. Christmas trees
3. my husband
4. mechanical pencils
5. snow flurries
6. the game Scrabble
7. hot chocolate
8. down pillows
9. street dancers
10. policemen

…what’s yours?

Falling

I'm considering going into seminary teaching and am currently student teaching - which is so much harder than speaking. It takes so much more time and energy. I taught last Tuesday and had to quick rush to the Ogden Golf and Country Club to speak for the Weber Chamber's Women in Business luncheon. After that I had to rush home and bake cookies to send to my Mia Maids for their activity (I couldn't be there and wanted to be supportive) before I left again to speak at Weber High School's volleyball banquet. As I was baking cookies, I had the mixer going with the butter and sugar and was getting out the oatmeal, which was on the bottom shelf of the cupboard and as I was reaching just as far as I could, I fell! Totally and completely out of my wheelchair.

I was so tired and frustrated and sick and I started to cry. I cried like a baby on the tile floor. I was thinking the whole time - I'm a motivational speaker! I'm a motivational speaker! There's got to be a lesson here! But I couldn't think of one. So I stopped crying. I sat myself cross-legged, and continued to measure the ingredients for the cookies.

When Whit came home, he found me on the floor, surrounded by various measuring cups of flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, and baking powder.

I guess sometimes we fall just because we fall and not really for any reason. So, when we're done crying, we have to right ourselves and keep cooking.

Ms. Wheelchair Utah This Tuesday Night!

After falling off a cliff and breaking my neck in 2004, I entered the wheelchair world. I couldn’t dance anymore, so I tried new activities like biking, racing, and wheelchair rugby, but hadn’t found anything for “girly” wheelchair users like me.

Then about a year after I was paralyzed I heard about the Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant. Perfect!

I called up the national board. I told them I wanted to participate.

They said no.

They said Utah didn’t have a state pageant and that I had to be a state winner first.

So I hung up the phone.

And got on ebay.

And bought myself a crown.

I called back the national pageant.

I told them I was Ms. Wheelchair Utah.

I flew to New York and competed in the national Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant.

I won the Spirit Award.

Coming home, I started the state pageant with my husband. The fifth annual pageant is next Tuesday.

Ms. Wheelchair Utah: The Inner-Beauty Pageant

When life gets too hard to stand, just keep on rollin’

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

7 to 9 pm

Pre-show at 6:30

Salt Palace Convention Center

Salt Lake City, Utah

Tickets $8 at the door, $2 in advance

We can’t do a lot about what life chooses to give us.

But we can do a lot with it.

Come support the most beautiful women you will ever see.

They can’t stand up, but they can stand out.

Judge's Breakfast with Mark Eaton

Got to hang out with Mark Eaton last Saturday! He is the nicest guy! He stayed for hours coaching the contestants at the judge's breakfast. So cool!

Ms. Wheelchair Utah Begins!

Ms. Wheelchair Utah Orientation begins tomorrow. So excited! We have 15 contestants from all over Utah - the youngest contestant is 3 and the oldest...well, a little older :)

I've got an awesome team of volunteers - thanks Mindy, Wendy, Susie, and Kimberly! - I'd fit in a little better if my name ended in a Y sound. So for the rest of the pageant, I'll be known as Meg-y.

We also have some really cool performers and guests including Craig Bolerjack, Peter Brienholt, Jason Tonioli, and even little Gabe Adams!

This is going to be the best pageant yet!

Combined Federal Campaign

Had an amazing time speaking at the Combined Federal Campaign this morning! They do a lot of good work for a lot of good nonprofits.

I loved being with all those charitable people.
I loved sharing my message on service.
I loved hugging Bob Evans from Fox 13.
Plus who wouldn't love speaking right next to a FIGHTER JET?!

Check out their facebook and SEE ME!

New Blog

So I am officially dissolving my more "professional" website blog and now opening up my personal blog! I have let this personal blog slide kind of because I was focusing on the "pro" version, but the more I think about it, everything I do (and I do quite a bit) comes from my heart. There isn't a distinction between "working Meg" and non-working Meg." It's just "Meg."