I came up with that hashtag for all the quadriplegics that are actually giving life an effort. I’m talking about All the quadriplegics that are killing it on their own. The ones that don’t give up in the eye of defeat. The ones that are raising their kids and setting a positive example. It’s not supposed to be a reflection of me, my website, or my blog but rather a term for people to share and apply to those that deserve it. A sticker you put on their car, something you copy and paste to their post, or something you simply include in your small story about this person. It’s like saying good job or keep it up. It’s a way of saying you see how hard they work and telling them, keep it up!
I’ve been through so much but I climb right back up out of it. I’ve almost died several times since I became a quadriplegic. Everything from diabetic ketoacidosis, severe constipation, to Bone infections and stage 4 pressure ulcers. A horrible horrible divorce, my children being illegally taken away from me by Health and Welfare because I was a quadriplegic, almost drounding, and much more, the universe has beat me down, battered, and broken me so many times… So many times it has just left me sitting there, alone, no one to turn to but myself, not knowing what to do next or how to even do it. So many times I was so exhausted and so beat down that I thought it was the end, that I thought, oh my god this is so bad, I can’t do this anymore, God please help me, I don’t deserve this… Nobody does.
As a man I hate to admit it but so many times I’ve cried, so many times I thought it was the end, and so many times I thought I was going to just lose everything. No matter what though… Through all the tears, all the pain, and through all the LOSS… I NEVER STOPPED FIGHTING! I never gave up! I never gave in! I am still undefeated in this fight we fight called life and you can bet your ass I’m not giving up anytime soon!
You know as well as I do how easy it could be. I could give up and quit fighting, quit worrying about things, take the easy way out. I could throw in the towel and let them come in and throw me into a facility. No longer having to worry about paying the next bill, hiring the next caregiver, or making sure my kids have dinner every night and a shower at least twice a week. I mean yeah, things would really have to get quite bad before they came in and just put me in a home, and so help me God I am nowhere near giving up and if somebody came in and even tried to take me or take what I have, I would fight like hell!!! I’m nowhere even close to giving up and on top of that… You take away my Independence and the fight I have as a single father to set an example for and raise respectful, responsible, caring, compassionate and hard-working young adults with great big hearts in the urge to jump the second they see somebody in need. If you take that away… All the fight I have to provide a decent life for my children and show them how to do the same for their own… If you take away my ability to show them love, watch them learn from their own failures, observe them as they achieve their own milestones, or raise their own children… Hell… You might as well be sticking a knife in my heart because it will surely kill me.
I get so much pride out of raising and observing my children, watching them from a distance, seeing what they do and don’t participate in based on their own judgment. What crowd they hang out with and the personality and actions of who they choose to be friends with. I don’t need anyone to tell me I have good children, I know I have good children based simply off of those things. I very rarely have to discipline them. I think it’s been just over a month since I had to ground my 14 year old daughter and take her phone away for 3 days and as for my 13-year-old son, even longer. I think between the two of them they’ve gotten into trouble a total of three times since January 1st 2024. That’s three times in 6 months for those of you that aren’t good at math. Don’t get me wrong they have arguments and little issues here and there, but, they know when I speak up they better correct their actions or there will be consequences and they are typically very good about correcting their actions before they get any kind of disciplinary consequences.
#thatquadlife means you aren’t lazy, and to an Outsider peering in, your life, most things anyway are in order and it’s not complete chaos. No I am not suggesting you have to be like me and live and do everything on your own. How you can live with your parents for all I care. What I mean is that the life you do have and the things within it are in and under control. Your house isn’t trashed, laundry isn’t stacked to the ceiling, and you don’t smell like a pig’s ass. If you’re a quadriplegic and one of these things or any of these things or something like this is going on in your life… If somebody else is cluttering up your world or causing chaos to your life… Speak up and speak loudly, tell them to quit being lazy, tell them you didn’t choose to be a quadriplegic and explain to them how it would be if you were not. Let them know they’re not going to come to your world and create chaos, stress, or agony. I can’t stand it when things are out of order or when things are all clustered up. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let somebody come to my world and do something I’m not okay with and sit there just watching while it happens. I’ll speak up I don’t care if I hurt their feelings or get myself into trouble but I’m not just going to sit by and be fake!
Anyhow thanks for reading and remember life could always be worse! We could always be struggling a little bit more. Sit back and think about your life and all you have to be thankful for. Think about all the hard times and how you overcame them, think about all the good times and how easy and bright they were. Think about all the solid objects within your house that you have to be thankful for, like your TV, dresser, or bed. What I mean is just make sure you appreciate what you do have, the things you’ve achieved, and all the lessons you’ve learned. Don’t forget… If donkeydidit… You can too!
Uncle Donkeys Tales 