There’s a version of life that people think I live.
And then there’s the real one.
The real one looks a little louder, a bit messier, and a whole lot more complicated than one might imagine. Maybe it’s a bit harder than it should be at times, but it’s mine.
In my family, calm wasn’t really a thing.There was always something going on, someone talking, something happening. And now? I’m a mom, living with that same kind of energy… just with added responsibility and not as much free time.
The chaos didn’t go away. It just grew up with me.
And then weaved into all of that is something that most people don’t see.
Living life with Cerebral Palsy or CP as I say, means nothing is just ever “automatic.” Things people don’t think about- moving around the house without tripping over my own feet. Carrying a cup of coffee to my chair in the morning without splashing it all over the place with my unsteady gait. Getting out the door, and keeping up with the pace of everyday life.Those are all things that I have to think through, adjust to, and sometimes even just push through.
But life never slows down just because I need it to.
Life doesn’t pause and wait for me to catch up. Kids don’t wait. And I don’t want them to.
Because as much as it can be overwhelming, and exhausting at times-
it’s also what built me.
Growing up in a multi-generational household taught me many lessons. Maybe some I didn’t understand at the time:
Independence doesn’t always have to mean doing things alone.
it can look like someone stepping in to help without asking, someone grabbing your arm at just the right moment, someone showing up when things are hard, and not making it into a big deal.
It can be loud. It can be chaotic. It isn’t always easy.
But it’s real. And it’s mine.
Ths is the side of life you don’t see in the reviews or the highlight clips.
This is my life Behind the Crew.
And every part of it?
Worth the struggle.