There's nothing like a power outage and loss of heat and water to make a wheelchair user feel grateful by Michael LaPenna The Wheelchair Philosopher

I give thanks for sights like the one in this photo.

A Brief note on Gratitude

As many of you many know, the Northeastern US had snow this past weekend -- the blizzard kind that lasts a good twelve to fifteen hours and culminates with a loss of power for 30 hours or as is the case south of me, up to three days. All that I can say after it has ended is that I am grateful for heat coursing through my home's electrically functioning pipes  and equally gleeful for the electric current flowing like a mighty stream  through my crappy, slow, 2005 computer (which I will be replacing with an iMac this month).

Growing up with Cerebral Palsy, I never rode a bike, played sports or was even able to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance at school. A great portion of my life consisted of hanging out with the kids in my neighborhood, playing Nintendo, watching pro wrestling, and playing with action figures in a well-lit space where my friends and I could create worlds of Sci-Fi adventure and Lego legend. Even today, I make my living through the Internet as a freelance writer, editor, marketer and as the saying goes, a chief cook and bottle washer. In this sense, while I may not  be materialistic -- much of my world exists through technology. An while I cannot walk out of my home through the front door or drive a car to the corner store, I am for instance healthily enjoying my job, my favorite TV shows, movies and Internet chats with friends across states and countries while my electric heating and cooling systems keep my bodily health intact.

Moral: Be grateful for all that you have. Even electric lights and heated homes are miracles when you don't have them.


Until next time... roll on!