a world full of disabilities is one worth living in.

imagine the most perfect person you know. they bring light into the darkest of situations and somehow manage to make you smile when you're determined to just hate today! more than likely, you can pick out their distinctive laugh from across the hall/field/street, and you can't help but laugh yourself.

i've had the privilege to be friends with a handful of such perfection. some can't speak without great difficulty, some have down-syndrome, some have been in accidents that impaired their mental and physical abilities, and some simply can't connect with what we've defined as "the normal population". but ALL of these people are one of my largest resources for hope in this life. without them, i would lose all hope in humanity. truthfully.

now, if someone decides that they can't or don't want to find comfort around people who are so "different", i have a few words to say:

stop "trying" to get more comfortable with that person. do it. "trying" gives you a way out of your own discomfort. more than likely, their world will never know such a luxury.

look into their eyes, for longer than 2 seconds. let what you see inside fill your soul. you should feel a cocktail of love and gratitude and your heart will be so full it might explode. Don't worry, it's a good kind of painful.

take some time. just because you can't seem to understand their speech or body language, doesn't meant that you sign out then and there. patience is the greatest expression of love. don't believe me? ask your mother.

if you so much as think about turning your nose up at one of these unbelievable souls, i will personally give you a proper fonging. fair warning. :)

so, to my perfect friends: thank you for being. i can't possibly imagine what pains you face each day, nor can i comprehend your ability to perpetually shine your light on all of us ingrates in the midst of that pain. thank you for teaching me how to live with patience and love without boundaries. without you, my life would not know such inexplicable peace in a world that is constantly at war. you are the true heroes of the land, the celebrities i want to have sign my tee-shirt. you are earth's perfection. it is a privilege to be sharing in this life with you.