Disability Lies In The Eyes Of The Beholder

 "Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder"

...they say.. what about disability?

So I see this 3 legged dog almost daily on my morning jogs at the beach. The first day I saw him, I was amazed to see how he was jumping all around and it's tail wagging away in merry.

Today when I saw him I thought of clicking a picture. But I saw it was too close to some lady so I kept jogging. On my way back I spotted it again but I saw it was still walking behind the same lady. Thats when it struck me he is probably with the lady. So I approached her and asked if he is with her... "it's a she" she said smiling... ( and there, I thought.. no matter how much I try to be gender neutral in my talks and words there are still times I fail..)

So I told her how inspiring her dog was. Thats when she said "Her name is Sheeba. She is 13 years old". "I love her spirit I must say" I said... "The doctors say it's her spirit that has got her so far. She has arthritis and has a spinal disease yet she is going strong. We've been coming at the beach for the last 10 years" she added.

After I bid them good bye I pondered about the term "Persons With Disabilities" (PWD). I guess it's a globally acceptable term. But a term which reminds them of a disability surely can't be best option. How about "Persons With Special Abilities"? This dog is good at doing things on 3 limbs which dogs with 4 limbs might not be. She has got a grit way way more than them. Same applies with people isn't it? People with special abilities are thriving at what they do coz they have special abilities that helps them thrive. And if they aren't thriving then it is probably us "normal" people that are a failure. We haven't supported them enough.

Coming back to Sheeba, the dog, She was so inspiring that I felt like petting her - but I have a mild case of Cynophobia (fear of dogs) I think so I try and stay away from them. Next time (probably tomorrow) if I am lucky enough to meet her, I will try and pet her if Neha is fine with it t

oo.

Neha is the lady I mentioned here and I asked her if I can take a picture and write about it if she was okay with it. "I'll tag you, if you wish on LinkedIn/IG/FB when I write about it" I told her.

"I ain't on any of the social media platforms..." is how she dropped the mic as I left from there, with my jaws wide open (in my mind).

Disability Lies In The Eyes Of The Beholder.

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