An Exception

An Exception

I woke up this morning with excitement. One because it was Sunday and I love going to Church but  it was a different kind of excitement. I was shaking because I would get to hear my new friend (Jim Edwards) on the radio (103.9 fm). As I started getting ready the first college class I took in 2006 at UCCS, psychology of the exceptional child with Lynn Fitzgrew popped into my head. I remember the excitement I had about starting a UCCS, and that same time the sadness I had about having to take your class that again appointment to the fact, again that since my accident I was "exceptional." At the time I was focused on myself going down that I didn't want to take the class focusing on what else may need different, I was definitely not where I am now with God and did not even think about how God could be using what I learned the class in my life.

I went through seven years of college where my educational goals ranged from getting a degree in psychology to getting my teachers license. Let me remind you that those goals, the latter one has yet to be reached. Had his eyes still sit here and ask “God, what am I doing?” As I was applying for jobs in looking at my resume I was reminded of what I had done so far (since my brain injury and moving back out here). My mom and I started a brain injury support group for young adults as the brain injury sport group that exists (Headway) seems to be for older people and although some members are so much fun and completely young-at-heart, there are different focuses in life during every different stage of life.

Now that college is over (at least for the moment) attendance at Headway has started again. Although some weeks I'm not up for pizza or salad (as served at Fargo's, where Headway meets) a few of the other members and I have been discussing how going to the meeting is not always for our personal enjoyment. At least once a month the group’s leader Debbie is there anything gives us important information about beneficial events taking place around the community. Not only can we learn great information but as the group always offers, there is a great time of socialization. Okay it sounds like I'm trying to sell something, but I just want to explain how different things in life are connecting.

This is going to be a bit disconnected but I think most of my writing (blogging) is. So here we go: when I was in college after taking the exceptional child class I took statistics and the statistics professor was musician. Somewhere in there I was urged to listen to our RXP (103.9FM) but it just wasn't my kind of music so I didn't really do it much. However I didn't go to bars downtown to listen to my professor’s band often. When I went to listen to my professor I would often end up dancing and trying to bust a move with friends and classmates. I really had not been dancing that much besides at different weddings I've been to lately and most recently my sister's wedding. I was invited to go dancing for my aunt's birthday. At the beginning of the week when I had first been told about the celebration were having I mentally made a note that I wanted to dance with somebody random. I thought, first of all I won't be my wheelchair so people won't have any hesitations. When we got there the crowd was definitely not a crowd I would think of dancing with although they sure could dance!

[SIDENOTE:] Okay I totally forgot to insert one of the connections, at Headway I met an amazing man with a spinal injury. Although I had taken many classes about the human brain that were taken during a time when I was still learning about what my brain injury was much less focusing on a different kind of injury. I had no clue about how spinal cord injuries affected a person. That day I prayed that God would give me a greater understanding of a spinal cord injury. Although his mom told me I could ask anything you wanted, I still wanted to research and find out information for myself because it's fun.

I ended up dancing with a man who has a spinal cord injury and is in a wheelchair. I also found out is a radio personality on RXP…RXP??? Oh wow!! My statistics professor... My first years at UCCS…. My first class…. Psychology of the exceptional child!!! In this class the way "exceptional" was referred to was that a child has a disability that prohibited her or him from learning in a traditional fashion. Henceforth the child was exceptional. Not only am I exceptional, but most people with a disability are exceptional!

There are we go, I was able to learn about spinal cord injuries through someone else however I will to have to talk to Ace because every injury effects each person so differently and doctors give information from what has happened in previous cases. My first neurologist put it best when telling my mom what to expect after my brain injury, “Kimi will do what she can do when she can do it.”