MONDAY, JULY 20, 2015
"Another time, I found myself walking up onto a crowded mini ramp in Philadelphia. I heard a loud clink on the top of the ramp and saw a young man grinding across the ramp with his hands. I did a double take. He elevated his skateboard and proceeded to roll down to the other side of the ramp. He performed a whole run on this ramp doing many tricks, without having feet! He had style, grace, and most of all, you could tell he was enjoying himself. After his flawless run on the ramp, he walked hiimself on his hands on the deck of the ramp to the sound of complete silence. I was troubled that the other people on the ramp didn't cheer him on as they were doing for the other skaters. So I stood up and said, "Come on guys that was an awesome run, give this guy some credit." I proceeded to clap, and the rest of the skaters slowly followed in applause. This gesture wasn't to draw attention to the fact that he had no legs. It was that he was a really good skater, and the other riders shouldn't be silenced to cheer him on because of that. We are all in the same boat here. All our differences make us whole. To fear and misunderstand lends itself to hatred." p.84-85, Looking Glass Self - Hope, Optimism and the Journey Within; Doug Brown