Tag: inspiration

Michele Lee Sefton let me dance again

Please Let Me Dance Again: Michele’s Story

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By Michele Lee Sefton, M.Ed. | Featured Contributor

“Oh, God,” I pleaded, “Please let me dance with my daughter again.”

That desperate plea flooded my brain during a moment that shattered a picturesque and perfect morning, several years ago, just two days before Christmas. My husband and I had just returned home from a long bicycle ride, when I remembered that our daughter’s preschool teacher had asked for a playpen donation to house a litter of pups. Caught up in the spirit of giving, it seemed like the perfect time to climb into our attic and retrieve our daughter’s playpen. I climbed the pull-down ladder and stepped into the dark and dusty space. My husband was at the bottom of the ladder, waiting for me to lower the playpen down to him. My simple act of generosity did not go according to plan. As I was attempting to lower the playpen, I slipped and in an instant I crashed through drywall, which sent me plummeting to the garage floor below.

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why i choose to laugh daily by chris otcasek

Why I Choose To Laugh Daily: Chris’ Journey

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By Chris Otcasek (aka Mr. Ohh!) | Featured Contributor

Hello! I have a question for you all. I would like to ask how you grew up? How were you treated? When I grew up, I had asthma, and was not treated well. The thing is…no one was in those times. I would run the 100-meter dash and run out of breath after 25. It wasn’t so bad that the other children told me I ran like a truck, but when the coach did as well it made me feel I wasn’t trying hard enough. Well, I tried harder and got worse.

Some folks find this abuse depressing and are scarred. I grew to fight harder, and when I was laughed at, I learned to laugh at myself as well. It was a sad existence. Bullying is cruel but it must be survived. Friedrich Nietzsche said, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” It’s a lie that which does not kill us gives us one more thing to avoid. For me, that became everything. And it continued throughout my working life.

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growth poem Cara Amy Goldthorpe

Growth [a poem]

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By Cara Amy Goldthorpe | Featured Contributor

It would take for my heart
To be ripped apart
Scattered to the corners
Of this paradise haven
For me to come home
To the soul above
And within
To speak my truth
And embrace
This identity of mine
Too long hidden
For so long, swirling
In the shadowy clutch
Of the night’s storm
Yet now I see, I behold
The awakening rose
That is blossoming
In this Dawn

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