Accepting help can be really difficult, especially when you’re a really independent person. I was always super independent even when I was a small child. Two of my Mom’s favorite stories to tell about me is when I was a mere 2 years old and told her that I could make my own sandwich and then went onto make the perfect fold-over or where she dropped me off at my very first day of preschool when I turned around and said, “Mama, you can go home now.”

Accepting help wasn’t in my nature. It made me uncomfortable, a very unhealthy amount of uncomfortable. No one could buy my dinner, no one could help bring groceries in, no one could help me do anything. I could do it. Sometimes it was hard, but I did it nonetheless. When I lost my legs, I went from living on my own, paying my own bills, working three jobs to having to be carried to and from the shower, having to have someone help dress me, etc. Oh boy, was it hard! I felt my pride had left me.

It wasn’t until recently that I became aware that it is okay to ask for help, it’s okay to accept help from others who want to give it.

Today was a reminder of that when I went to buy paint from a building supply store and they didn’t have a ramp to get in. A man offered to pop be up on the curb of the building and as the thought of saying my usual, “Thank you very much, but I think I’ve got it,” slipped through my mind. I looked at Harper and said, “That would be nice, thank you.” And it was alright. The world didn’t stop. I went in, purchased my paint, and nearly finished my kitchen (those high spots are a real bugger).

So, in closing, accept the help that is offered when you know you really need it. Trust me when I say, it will be okay.