We are at a critical junction with regards to the coronavirus and many people just accept that this is going to be our reality for a while.  There are two sides to looking at the word acceptance.  One side is being complacent and the other side is empowering.

 I live and understand both sides of the acceptance dilemma. I always accepted the fact that I will probably live with my disability and the ramifications of it for the rest of my life. What I never accepted was the fact that I could not have an amazing life. Every day I fight and claw for the chance to live an amazing life. I want to create a loving family, a business that inspires me, the ability to work and serve amazing people, and amazing experiences. In order for the latter to happen, I needed to accept the former. I spent countless days wondering if my disability was too much to deal with. However, I was always focused on creating an amazing life.

 We are well into dealing with this pandemic and most people want to go back to normal.  However, there are several factors to consider.

1. Don’t move the goalpost. The goal is to be able to SAFELY go back to normal. This means packed stadiums, family gatherings with lots of hugs, vacations, nightclubs, restaurants, bars, churches, or anything that involves many people crammed together. We also want to do all these activities without masks and without fear. We should not move the goalpost just because it’s easier or we don’t want to do the work.
2. Do the work. The quicker we do the work, the quicker we get back to normal. Most activities in my life are more involved or more complicated and I always accepted the fact that parts of my life are going to be more challenging than others. This time, it’s more challenging than others and we have to accept the fact that more work has to be done than before the pandemic.
3. Don’t wait. Many people are waiting for a vaccine, therapies, or a cure. Even if we get these, there is no guarantee that it’s going to be what we envision or be 100percent effective. If they are, great, incredible, awesome, blessing, or any other adjective that you want to throw in there. I cannot live my life hoping for a cure for cerebral palsy. I have to live my life with the resources at my disposal today, and, if there is a cure one day, then I will talk your ear off and be one of the most energetic annoying people you’ll ever meet.

 Very few issues in society have the same consensus about what success look like. However, with the coronavirus we simply want to get back to normal.