"Special" Life Lessons

I was blessed to grow up with my aunt Connie. Connie was my mom's younger sister, and she was born with an intellectual disability. She was also born with an overabundance of positive energy and exuberance for life.  I have learned several great life lessons from Connie and wanted to share a few:

1.)   Greet others with joy and enthusiasm: Every time I see Connie she runs up to me, rubbing her hands together, with the biggest smile.  You can just feel the excitement and love radiating from her.   It is always such a joy to see Connie, because her greeting raises my spirits and makes me feel loved.  How can we all go about life in a way we greet those around us with more positive energy and excitement?

2.)   Everyone needs things in life to look forward to: after Connie’s warm greeting, she is always quick to share her excitement about upcoming events, sometimes even if they are months out.   Connie’s excitement was of course expressed for Christmas and her Birthday, but the other big one was her upcoming Special Olympics events.  She participated both in bowling and track.  With the associated practices, she pretty much always had something coming up that she was excited for and eager to tell you about.   I’m a firm believer that whether it’s a trip, dinner, or just a day of relaxation we all need something on the calendar to look forward to.  What do you have on your calendar that you are excited about?  If you don’t, go out and plan something today. 

3.)   Complete vs. Compete: As I mentioned earlier, my aunt Connie was very involved with the Special Olympics.  I was fortunate enough to be able to help at some of her events and watch her and her friends participate.  These experiences opened my eyes in so many ways.  The sportsmanship at these events was second to none.  They were always cheering each other on with words of encouragement.  I saw instances where fellow competitors stopped mid-race to help someone in need.  Regardless of where they finished, I saw participants over-joyed about crossing the finish line.  For someone who has a hard time playing a friendly, family game of Scrabble without my competitive juices kicking in, this was especially meaningful.  It was a great reminder that goals don’t always have to be about winning and losing.  Sometimes it’s about just enjoying the journey, being grateful for the ability to participate, and accomplishing the personal goals you set for yourself. 

Special Olympics holds a special spot in my heart because of the direct impact it has had on Connie and my family. It provides its participants with something to look forward to, an opportunity to stay active and healthy, and an inclusive community for them to complete their journey and achieve their goals. From a volunteer perspective, my experiences have been some of the most rewarding. Every time I volunteer with Special Olympics, I wish I had more time to spend with this amazing group of people that have taught me so many great lessons on life. If you want to have something to look forward to or want to feel loved and witness pure joy, you should sign up and volunteer at an upcoming Special Olympics event near you.