Wise words from a Romanian woman.

A few days ago I met a woman online. We started chatting in Spanish. Since she told me was European, I assumed she was Spanish. After some minutes, she mentioned she was Romanian. Upon learning this, my interest increased significantly. I find different cultures fascinating. I've always considered myself a lover of learning and what better way than by getting to know people from across the globe. Our conversations (albeit brief and quite recent) have shown me a different point of view reguarding my personal experiences in life.

I never intended on writing as a career choice let alone for a blog. And I must warn you that this post is going to show a more personal opinion of mine. If you've read my previos posts, you know I'm disabled. I can't speak for all of the USA but my experience is that the obviously heavily disabled are virtually invisible to society. Again, this is a gross generalization. Allow me to give you real examples I have lived.

A year or so before the COVID pandemic, I went to pick up sushi from my local Japanese restaurant. As I left the building, I remembered that there was a Greek restaurant two buildings across. I told my mother I wanted to get a menu for next time. I went ahead knowing that she was following shortly. I entered the restaurant and as I see the hostess, I ask for a menu. Eye contact was made, smiles were exchanged. Yet she did nothing. A good ten to fifteen seconds pass before my mother enters the restaurant.

The hostess immediatly asks her if she came alone. I was invisible. I could give you many examples like that one. Returning to the Romanian woman, I casually mention my blog. Honestly I hardly talk about it because I don't find my life very interesting. And I told her this. And that's where she digitally bopped me across the head and dropped some wisdom on my ass. She read a few sections of my blog and told me that it was well written albeit a tad bland.

She shared some pointers since she has a blog of her own and kindly shared her recent struggles with me. Whenever someone opens up to me, I feel a great sense of gratitude with them for trusting me by showing their vulnerability. And then she said something I will never forget. She told me that if I wanted the world to understand disabled people, we (disabled people) have to share our story. I had never thought of it that way. If my story which is written in pain, blood, impossible odds, and an even more impossible stubbornness can help someone, then I'll gladly share it in more detail. Dony, I don't know if you will read this post but I thank you from the bottom of my heat. I send you my respect and appreciation from the Texan dessert all the way across the planet to wherever you are in Romania. I hope we can become good friends.