Dear, Unsealers:

I’m grateful to be on my own feet. Each day, I see them with all the scars and calluses as symbols of confronting the biggest struggle with having cerebral palsy.

Yet, they’ve carried me from the streets of NYC to sailing around the islands of Santorini. They wobble and tire out easily but they don’t give up on enjoying life.

It’s with that idea in mind that this poem came along:

I’m grateful for being on my own two feet

As I’m able to open my eyes
And see them in scarred, callused glory

It wasn’t always this way, though…

Years of being held back
By varying braces and orthopedics
A mentality that sunk into my mind

Of being helpless
When all I wanted to do was walk
With normalcy, like everyone else

Now, I treasure each step
Whether its out of my room, walking down the block or in a new destination

No matter the difficulty
On hills, boats and all uneven terrain
I step into my power

To be on my own two feet
A feeling that’s worth so much to me

Gratitude doesn’t do it enough justice
For the magic of walking on my own two feet