Wednesday, August 28, 2013

THE POOL

Tanner & I
Every time I watch Tanner we walk (I walk, he wheelchairs) to the Tahoe Keys pool. We have the same exact routine almost everyday, which Tanner really enjoys; so, even with the heavy smoke we are currently experiencing, I suck it up... for Tanner. While I'm watching him, I am constantly conversing with him, and sometimes he will repeat a word or two, but I can tell he knows everything i'm saying and is taking it all in. Before to our walk to the pool, I was adjusting my Zumba playlist on my iPad for an exercise class that I teach. One of the songs is a Selena Gomez song and as i'm listening to it, Tanner starts playing the same EXACT song from across the room on his iPad! Talk about intelligent! Tanner is so smart! He had to recognize the song (or something) go onto YouTube, type it in, and find the video.... pretty cool if you ask me! Tanner LOVES music. All day we're rockin' out to awesome music. Another thing he loves is water. Prior to breaking his femur, I took him to the beach and we playing in the lake. It was hard because he doesn't know how to swim and i'm not much bigger than him, but it was so nice seeing him happy. So, (sorry for the tangents!) we get the pool a few days ago and i'm definitely used to people looking at Tanner and I funny, but not like this day. At first it really used to get to me would stare and I would think, "don't you have any manners!?", "you're being rude!" or "take a picture, it'll last longer..." but now I just put a big fat smile on my face because I know Tanner is happy and that's all that matters. However, on this specific visit to the pool, i'm pushing him to the shallow end, so I can piggyback him into the water and this middle-aged, very muscular man, wearing a life jacket, would not stop staring at us!! That day, Tanner and I swam for and hour and fifteen minutes (I never know how long we'll be there for, Tanner makes the call. It's a lot of work getting to/from, in/out of the wheelchair and pool, so I always hope it's going to be longer than ten minutes). This man was there with his family (wife and two kids); however, he was definitely more interested in Tanner and I. After about forty-five minutes of staring, but pretending like he wasn't, his wife asked him if he was ready to leave. He said yes and at that point, his wife hops out of the pool and grabs his wheelchair from around the corner! He  was a paraplegic. :( Now it all made sense why he was staring at Tanner and I. Tanner is in a wheelchair and I carried him into the pool. They are in a similar, but completely different situation and he felt a connection with us. It took three large men to get him out of the pool and it made my heart sink. Sure makes me grateful. It made me realize that you really never know...so don't judge a book by its cover.

Be grateful for everyday you have, no matter the circumstances because there is always someone worse off than you.

xoxo

Always. Shine. Bright.


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