I have changed this Day Challenge to Challenge post– I blog when I steal time. Don’t ask me what I am doing that keeps me from blogging every single day- I don’t know!!
Any way, challenge post 16- Someone who inspires me.
Looks can be deceiving. I don’t suppose to many this guy looks exceptional. He actually looks a bit goofy, most of the time. How could he be ‘inspiring’?
This is Evan, my 22 year old son. Not the best looking of the three, not the smartest of the three. And by worldly standards not the most successful. Compared to the rest of the family, it does not seem like he has much to inspire anyone with.
Evan though is an inspiration to me, and could be to just about anyone who bothers to look. This young man has dealt with more exclusion and prejudice and judgement because of his outward appearance than I will ever have to, than most of us will ever be dealt. You may think it ‘okay’ because he really does not understand. Not an excuse but many times we do allow such behaviour because the recipient is not aware of the treatment. This is not the case of Evan. Evan has the mental capability to understand. Evan is not mentally disabled, he does have some learning disabilities from brain injury from a stroke, but this has not affected his ability to understand. Evan has to work a bit harder to comprehend some things, like money and numbers. Evan has to work harder to make the words get from his brain to his mouth. Evan has to think about swallowing all the time, or he drools. Evan has to turn his head to see to the left, glancing does not work. Evan has to decipher conversation that comes at him, words like the, that, more, less, when, where, how, etc just don’t compute for him. He took the drivers test several times because words like curve and turn mean the same to him, but they do not on the test. Evan has to smile a crooked smile, due to nerve damage, when his ‘friends’ at church discuss the gathering they will have soon, and who they have invited or need to invite, and never include him. Evan lives a life in the middle. He is not normal enough to be included and he is not disabled enough to be included. But he includes himself anyway. Evan has to repeat himself many times, sometimes never being understood completely, just to pay a compliment. Having a conversation about his wants, his interests, just to talk, is not something he ever gets to do, people just don’t have the time to listen.
Me? I exclude myself from so many things because I just don’t fit in. Or I don’t converse because someone in the group has been rude or talked badly about or to me. I am self conscious of my fat belly. I try to camouflage my wrinkles. I concern over others thoughts of my blog, my writing, my art, what if they don’t like it? I don’t attempt because I fear failure. I am not friendly for fear of rejection. I excuse myself from speaking to others whether it be gluten free talking or sharing the Gospel, because they may not understand.
Evan has so much less to inspire with, yet he does a much better job than I ever have.
I'm Not So Petty 