Ive been nominated for something called The Very Inspiring Blogger Award, by my side-kick and soul sista Just a minutemy cape is in the dryer. The irony abounds. I hope by inspired you mean the good kind of inspired and not that youre inspired to go play in traffic😊. Alright, you know I dont have a dedicated blog as it were because thats just one extra step Ill screw up eventually, so this will have to do! As I understand it, Im supposed to say a few words about myself, or my life, so here it goes: 1. Im a Southerner. Born and raised in Arkansas. Well, actually, I was born and raised in Northeast Arkansas, then lived in Central Arkansas for a while, then Mississippi for a short time, then I got married and moved to Memphis, thhhhhen, I moved back to Northwest Arkansas, which is where I call home...but I moved away a few years ago and Im about to move...again... 2. I started this motherhood journey early in life. Like 18 years old early. I never felt young, though. I always felt much older than my real age, but the older I get, the younger I feel these days. Looking back, Im glad I was a young mom, but I cant lie and say Im not glad that my son broke the chain of the teenage parent in this family. I actually hope he waits many more years before settling down. 3. I became a kickboxer in my early 20s when my oldest son was taking a karate class when he was 4 years old. So, I guess I was 22 then. Anyway, I took him to his class on a Saturday morning and I saw all these people wailing on bags with gloves on and the music was so loud and the atmosphere was just electric. It looked hard, but for some reason, I just felt like I needed to learn how to do it, so I did. I threw up in the middle of my first class, it was so hard at first. A couple of years and a black belt later, I started teaching. It has always been a part of me since that Saturday. Of any workout Ive ever done over the years, kickboxing has been my favorite. Teaching people how to defend themselves or break a knee is kinda awesome 😄 4. My oldest boy, that 4 year old who disrupted his karate class on a regular basis and said his very first curse word in class, eventually became a black belt by the time he was 8 and inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame. That year he met and trained with Bruce Lees first student and MMA fighter Frank Shamrock. We had no idea that he had such a talent for it, but over the years and many tournaments and demo teams later, Im still dragging around his trophies and awards. P.S. Since he completed the Marine Corps Martial Arts program, I can no longer spar with him. It was a goal of his to be able to beat his old mama in sparring and he finally did it. I cant take the kid anymore😃 5. I am an Aries, right down the core. 6. I dont watch much TV and when I do, its the news...or something on the History Channel. 7. Im over autism awareness. I want acceptance and will stand for nothing less. 8. Im inspired by people who continually challenge themselves and learn new things. In particular those who do the work others are afraid of or think is too hard. I love people who set out to make a difference and do it. I love the doers. 9. I have a soft spot for all children on the spectrum. I worked at my sons first special needs preschool for the first year he attended there and I fell in love with the kids. I learned more about the spectrum from being hands-on than I have ever learned in written words. Needs may be different based on where a child falls within the spectrum, but all needs are important regardless of what the diagnostic paperwork tells you and what can or cannot be seen by the naked eye. I think if were going to understand and promote autism acceptance, we as parents need to understand autism in ALL its glory...not just our own kids. 10. I believe in equality, period. 11. I love to laugh. I laugh at and about almost everything...even inappropriate things😁 12. My absolute favorite thing right now is Spotify. I love music. So, now Im supposed to nominate five bloggers who inspire me. Thats hard to do. Im inspired by many things and many pages...depending on the mood of the day. Most autism blogs are about kids and every story, every life, is an inspiration and an important journey. Its helping someone, somewhere today. Thats the point really. If I inspire you with anything I have to say, then Ive done something. Thats good enough for me.😊
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 16:05:26 +0000