Important Things In Life to Remember

Never underestimate the power of your own imagination. Dream big!

Sometimes, the most important thing you do in life aren't even on your list.

"The most important thing in communicationn is hearing the thiings that aren't said."

Life becomes clearer when we focus on the things that truly matter.

Don't stress over the little things....Unless your house is infested with mosquitos! 

Live life day by day; not month by month. Not year by year.

Do what makes you happy. Take chances. You never know unless you try.

Never be afraid to fail. You may struggle, but the only way you truly fail is if you give up.

"The best things in life are the people you love, the places you've seen, and the memories you've made along the day."

Be yourself. No one can do that better than you.

"No matter the situation never let your emotions overpower your intelligence."

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."

Do something that scares you to death.

Life is the most beautiful thing in the world.

The only person you need to believe in you is you.

Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

Dream big, but don't forget to follow your dreams.

20 Positive Things To Tell Yourself

1)  I can do it.

2.) I believe in my abilities.

3.) I will get through any hurdles life brings me.

4.) I will take each day and make the most of it.

5.) I choose to be happy.

6.) Smiling is important.

7.) Be kind to others and others will be kind to you.

8.) It is great to be alive.

9.) I am fortunate and thankful for the experiences in my life.

10.) Be thankful for the little things.

11.) Take chances in life.

12.) My hard work is already and will continue to pay off.

13.) I love who I am.

14.) I'm heading in the right direction.

15.) I may SOMETIMES fall but I will ALWAYS get back up.

16.) I am human. I will make mistakes. Mistakes are what help me grow.

17.) I need to focus on who I am rather than dreaming of who I think I need to be.

18.) I am unique and have something to offer to the world.

19.) The past is behind me.

20.) How can I make myself better today?

My Perspective: Being In A Wheelchair

People become curious when they see something different. For me, the topic of being in a wheelchair is not something I mind talking about. I feel like it is great if people are comfortable asking questions about it.

When I started attending school in a wheelchair (probably about the middle of grade 9), it took me a very long time to get used to it. There were people that stared and stared and stared. Rude, right?

Not really. Well, at least not to me.

I'm not going to lie. I was nervous for quite some time showing up to school in a wheelchair. Would I have trouble making friends? It was uncomfortable at first because I was new to it. Taking a school bus in the winter even though I lived maybe ten minutes away from school, it felt weird. What would people think? What would people say? Well, nobody said anything about that.

I have noticed that some people want to ask but are too shy about it, so they just end up staring...which is okay with me. It is mostly just little kids that stare. When I am in, say, the mall, I guarantee that there will be some little kids that stop walking and stare at my wheelchair when I go by them.

The transition from walking to being on crutches to permanently being in a wheelchair was not easy, especially in regards to my emotions. I was big into sports. I loved playing sports. Going outside at recess throwing a football around; kicking around a soccer ball; Hitting a baseball... I can't express how much I enjoyed all of those sports.

One sport I had no problem playing while in a wheelchair is basketball. I discovered that basketball would be high on my to-do list, so I decided to attend wheelchair basketball practice at the University of Winnipeg. These practices were twice a week. I remember being pumped to go every time! It was one of the best experiences of my life.

Sure, being in a wheelchair takes away some abilities I could have if I wasn't in the wheelchair, but everybody has their own difficulties and journey in life. People find ways to accomplish their goals. Goals change. That's something that is quite exciting in life. I had to adapt and was able to learn some different things about myself.

In the earlier years of being in a wheelchair, there had been a small chance that I could walk again. I spent countless days doing my best to walk with a walker while wearing a brace that went from my toes right up my entire leg. It felt great to be able to walk even short distances every day. Unfortunately, the idea started to walk out the door (see what I did there?). It just became too difficult, as my legs became weaker.

That's okay.

When I was younger, and able to play sports, I had the dream of being an NFL player. There was that confidence that filled my heart. In my mind, it was going to happen. Realistically, the odds of it happening were never great either way, but can't blame me for dreaming!

The fact that I am in a wheelchair has not ruined my positivity. I have been able to cope with the fact of being in a wheelchair and have gotten to know myself better. My strength, my positivity, even my personality. This is who I am.

My goal is to just become more and more positive in life and I hope that I can inspire others to do the same.

Becoming A Writer: My Story

When I was in highschool, I was never truly set on what I wanted to do as a living. Sure I had ideas but they never fell through. From game designing to band member to being a coach for the Denver Broncos, those ideas never fell through.

As I have mentioned in a previous blog post, I am extremely shy when it comes to public speaking. Going to school, I was always afraid because I didn't know what to expect. I always assumed that I would have to speak to the class. That was my biggest fear in highschool. I kept telling myself that everything would be okay, that nobody would judge me, but it never put me at ease.

Courses I voluntarily chose to take included game design, culinary arts, welding, digital film making/pictures, psychology, among others.

Out of all of these classes, my favorite ones were game design and culinary arts. I mean, who doesn't love video games and food?

Game Design: When it came time to choose courses to take, game design really appealed to me. I thought it would be a blast to learn how to make my very own computer games. It was. We were given a booklet of instructions for creating our own games. It was very exciting to learn different functions!

Culinary Arts: If memory serves me correctly, I took culinary arts every year of highschool. Each year, it got more and more interesting and fun. I got to learn about not only how to cook dishes but the science behind food.  The entire course was exciting, however, the best part? You guessed it....Eating!

Anyways, I won't bore you with more course descriptions!

You're probably wondering how I went from these courses to deciding to start writing. The truth is, they don't really have a connection to it. The connection would be the fact that I really enjoyed English class. Most people I know say they hate writing essays. I found it to be quite enjoyable.

In college, I didn't do a ton of writing. In my three years, I took a computer science course (a lot of hands-on assignments) and Business Administrative Assistant (working with computer programs, a lot of numbers and terminology I had to learn). One time in my Business class, however, I had to write an essay. I received a very good grade on it. This is when I thought that writing would be the best thing for me.

During my short time writing, I have discovered that it is by no means easy. It is not easy but it is very enjoyable for me and I feel like I chose the right path. That's really what matters. Do something that you enjoy rather than something you really dislike doing as a career. What's the fun in that? Make sure you are having fun. 

Facing Your Demons

Sometimes, there are things that stay on your mind for such a long time that they take an emotional toll on you, making you either stressed, unhappy, and/or anxious.

As difficult as it is, in order to get closure, you need to face your demons.

Are you nervous about something? In my past experiences, I figured out that the best way to get through tough times is to just get them over with. Two examples I have are: 1.) Getting blood work done as soon as possible, rather than waiting; 2.) Public speaking: I hate (HATED!) public speaking in highschool. I was nervous to go to school quite often, due to the possibility I may have to talk in front of the class. It was not a fun feeling!

There have been times in my life where I had some conflict with somebody. Being shy and nervous, it was very difficult to come forward with the person and expressing my feelings. Eventually, however, I gathered up the courage to do it. It ended up really paying off for me. Not only were some issues resolved, I felt so much better.

When you are facing difficult times or situations, keep telling yourself, "I can do it. I can do it. I can and will get past this, whatever it takes."

Talking to somebody about your problems can help you feel more relaxed about any troubles you are experiencing. Knowing that you have somebody you can trust is crucial. But remember, trust is not built overnight. You need time to build it.

In time, I realized some things. For one, worrying about certain things is deemed a waste of time because some things will happen either way. You need to just think as positive as you can and let things take care of themselves.

Try and focus on the present. Worrying about something that is in the future (especially the distant future) is not good for your health. It will cause you anxiety and stress.

Take deep breaths. Deep breathing helps oxygen flow to your brain. It will help you relax.

Distract yourself with something else. Whether it's music, reading, television, etc., Doing something you live is a great way of keeping your mind off of things that are "eating your brain alive". The issues will need to be dealt with at some point but it is never good to let them get to you.

Probably the best thing I can say is that whatever is going on, time passes either way. Eventually things are going to be alright. You will get through these tough times, maybe with a few bumps and bruises. But never ever give up. You are very strong even if you don't see it right away.

Everything will be okay.

A List of Things That Make People Happy

"Waking up everyday makes me happy. God is an amazing God." - Leta Latimer

"My friends, my sisters, my favorite youtubers, and of course my video games." - Tiffany Scott

"Traveling" - Michelle Chamberlain 

"ultimately it comes down to family. At the end of the day, if your family is happy you should be happy." - Travis 

"My pets are way up there-the unconditional love they give you is the best" - Melody G

"One thing in life that makes me is creativity. I write and perform music, and seeing a song come into being from lowly beginnings is a really rewarding thing.." - Chad Fraser

"The one thing in life that makes me happy is my son." - Morgan Lynn

"My baby boy Rylan and my very soon other son Ignacio." - Kyle Tiedtke 

"Sunsets." - Austin Manak

"Sunny days outside." - Randa Zalman

"Food and movies. Totally my happy place 😊" - Chelsey Viau 

"I would say relaxing enjoying at my home with my wife. Nothing better!" - Luke Euerle

"When my students miss me, and I was only gone for a day or two. Puts a huge smile on my face." - Mandy Danczyk 

"Family." - Cheryl Hymiller Johnson

"This little human growing inside of me 😃 my boyfriend and my dog Max and cat Frankie!" - Brianne Dyck 

"A cruise in my car with some good tunes playing. If I had to choose one happy place,
 that'd be it." -  Kirk Vandersteen 

"Books! Pets! Movies!" - Bridget Leigh Shoemaker 

"Puppy cuddles!! And my boyfriend haha." - Kiera Brianne 

"Concerts" - Luke   

"My kids. No question." - Dennis DeuPree 

Montreal Experience and Major Surgery

The year 2011 was a very significant year in my life. I was in my last year of highschool when I was informed that I would need to have another surgery. I had already gone through this process many times by this point in my then-18-year life.

From stomach, to my back, to my head, this just seemed like another typical procedure. This time, it was my bladder.

My appointments and surgery all took place in a hospital in Montreal, Quebec. Every time my family and I had gone there, there always seemed to be something that went wrong. Our hotel was right downtown, not very far from the hospital that I went to.

 Downtown Montreal always smelled like cigarette smoke. It seemed like everyone smoked there. I couldn't believe it. This alone seemed like a good enough reason to order in. I wanted to stay out of the smell as much as I possibly could. Little did we know, the smoke wasn't the biggest problem we ran into during our stays.

One day we decided to go around the city on foot (or wheels) and find a place to have supper. After a while of looking around, we decided to head into McDonald's and order there. That's when something crazy took place. A fight between two women broke out right in front of me. I'm not sure what caused them to fight. Maybe they couldn't decide what to order? Just kidding.

Another time we were in Montreal, we were on our way to the hospital. As we were heading down the sidewalk, we hear something odd behind us. It didn't seem like a big deal until we noticed people running past us. Curiously, my mom looked back from where we just were, and noticed a man with a couple of beer bottles in his hands.

I never saw this man, because we were trying our best to leave the area as fast as possible to get away from this person. We needed to cross the street to get away from him. There was not very much time. He was coming towards us, throwing the bottles in our direction. Exiting the sidewalk onto oncoming traffic seems like a foolish thing to do, but that was our only option.

Everybody that was driving looked at the two of us as if we were the crazy people, but they must not have seen the guy coming towards us.

A little while later, we arrived at the hospital, shaken, scared and out of breath. We told the doctor what happened and he was extremely shocked. Apparently these situations never happen in downtown Montreal....Except when we arrive!

Now came the day of my surgery. I had to be there two hours prior of when it was schedule (8:30 am). They went over everything with me so I knew what was going to be happening. For me, I always say that the IV is the worst part, because I am asleep for the surgery.

This time, I was wrong.

The surgery was supposed to take roughly 6 hours. But surprise! It took 14 hours due to the fact that, when they went in, they discovered that my appendix had either burst or been taken out during a prior surgery. The appendix was supposed to be a major help in my surgery, but they had to go in a different direction in regards to how they were going to proceed.

Of course, when you are the one having surgery, it feels like it takes literally two seconds due to the anesthetic. For my mom, it felt like a lifetime. She felt helpless and alone because she saw the nurses leave at the end of their shifts while I was still in surgery.

As I mentioned earlier, the surgery was 14 hours long. When I woke up, my arms were completely numb and asleep. I couldn't move them. It was very difficult to get from the operating table into my bed, but it had to be done somehow, someway,

Other than the numbness in my arms, I felt very good post-op. No pain, even though I had two tubes in my stomach connecting to my bladder. If it weren't for my numb arms, I would have been able to head home in just a couple of days. However, the tingling feeling stayed for over a week, postponing my departure from the city I never wanted to be in ever again.

They had a device that dispensed pain medication for if I needed it, but I never really did. The nurses told me that I should press the button a couple of times, just in case. I listened to them. I felt extremely drowsy a little while after. The medication started to kick in. For some reason, they thought it would be a good idea for me to get out of bed that same day. Oh boy, that was a big mistake!

I got into my wheelchair, and started to feel the medication kick in shortly after. You see, I was and am unable to walk as it is, so if I fell, there would be hardly anything someone could do. After a while, it was time to get back into bed. However, I was too weak to do so. There were a bunch of people trying to lift me back into bed but they were unable to. A janitor had to come and help get me into bed to rest.

It was just another scary situation that occurred!

During the surgery, they inserted two tubes into my stomach connecting to my bladder. One of the tubes was the main one that had to stay in for a couple of months. The other one was just a precaution tube in case something went wrong. Thankfully nothing backfired and that precaution tube was taken out not long afterwards.

I got homesick. I just wanted to be home. The thought of being in the hospital made me very upset. I wanted to see my stepdad and sister badly. After all I went through those days, being away from home really took a toll on me.

My sister was still in school so it wasn't easy for her to miss time to come all the way from Manitoba to see me.  But they came! It made me feel so much better that I got to see them. I don't know how much longer I could have been away from them.

To my surprise, we were sent home while I still had one of the tubes in my stomach. I am surprised that they didn't keep me there longer because this was a very intense situation. When we arrived home, we discovered another obstacle. How was I going to get up the stairs? Luckily, a neighbor of ours came over and helped lift me in my wheelchair up the stairs.

Phew. Overcame that obstacle!

I entered my room, and then when I left, decided to wheel out backwards. Bad idea. I ran into the doorway and my wheelchair tipped backwards. There I was, scared on the floor. I was sure the tube was coming out because of the fall. Luckily it didn't move!

Eventually, teachers from my highschool started to come everyday to catch me up on what I had missed. I started getting into the routine of doing homework. It felt very weird being home all the time.

Finally I was back at school. It felt good to be back. It wasn't very long until graduation. I had missed so much time away from highschool that year! I graduated a couple of months later.

I have not been back to Montreal due to being too old to go to that hospital. But you could say that this is a relief! Who knows what would have happened next. It has been quite a journey since that surgery and I am glad it is over.