Finding freedom in a disability: Katherine Wolf

"I realized very clearly that happiness has nothing to do with the material things which surround us; it dwells in the very depths of the soul. One can be just as happy in a gloomy prison as in a palace." ~St. Therese of Lisieux, Story of a Soul

Sometimes I become frustrated when I find myself limited. I can't get enough things done during the day. I sleep for too long. I talk too much and can't get at what I'm trying to say. My weaknesses seem to bind me, to steal my happiness.

My instinct is to fight. I want to overcome my limitations. There I go, pulling chains behind me as if I could outrun them.

Communicating when it isn't easy

Communication is connection. For most of us, it's easy. A sideways glance. Hands on hips, feet tapping. A kiss on the cheek.

Sometimes, we use words. "Did you see that?" "Please take out the garbage." "I love you." Like magic, the words we conjure in our brains turn into sound waves, travel through the air, and become words summoned in the brain of another.  The written word is equally mysterious. Arbitrary shapes become stories, poems, proverbs. You are reading my words now, somewhere far from the tapping of my keyboard.

So what happens when there is an interruption to the brain? Imagine a blindfold, cotton in your ears, marbles in your mouth. Not so easy now.

Welcome

Hello, and welcome to a place where words nourish even more than bread and every day we do the best we can—even when that means making mistakes and falling flat on our faces.