Community, creativity, and more remained on display Wednesday, April 17th, 2024 during the live weekly cerebral palsy (CP) X chat #CPChatNow. To tell you more, I am chat co-host Zachary Fenell. Welcome to your weekly recap.
Our chat’s communal vibe emerged early in the evening.
Casey mentioned the day was her birthday. Both Veronica and I wished Casey a happy birthday. Keeping the conversation going, I then asked participants about highlights and learning experiences from the past week.
Answering my own question, I called working on my latest blog post my highlight. The post, “A Meaningful Birthday Celebration,” (my annual birthday reflection post), doubled as a learning experience. I explained, “I thought of a goal to publish one blog post and one YouTube video a month. First, I discouraged myself thinking those goals weren’t ambitious enough, but then I realized those numbers would still double the content I released each of the last two years.”
Encouraging words came from Veronica, who replied, “It’s good to start small and build off it.” Meanwhile for Veronica her learning experience for the week occurred elsewhere.
With April being National Poetry Month in the United States, Veronica commented, “Being April I’m open to learning about poetry. I’ve written a couple forms I haven’t tinkered with in awhile.”
In response, I mentioned feeling creativity’s temptation. I detailed, “An idea for a poem came to me today. In college I performed a poem titled ‘Who am I?’ celebrating my contributions to the college. With the college closing after this semester, I plan to rewrite the poem to celebrate my contributions to the college’s legacy.”
If the poem sounds interesting to you, stay tuned! First though, let us stay focused on finishing this recap. I went on to ask a question which sparked thought-provoking dialogue.
Curious, I asked the question, “What well-meaning phrase of positive advice irks you the most?” My co-host Devin Axtman responded, “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” Devin explained his dislike for the phrase, saying “It’s not true and makes it seem like disability is a bad thing.”
Behind the bad stands well-meaning motives. As Veronica noted, “It’s common for teachers to see (say) thinking it helps students try new things.”
In response Devin admitted, “It’s not a terrible sentiment on its face.” However, he pointed out, “If you smile at a flight of stairs, they’re not gonna turn into a ramp.”
Adding to the discussion, I suggested, “the phrase would be better if it just focused on the power of attitude.” Offering the following as an alternative, “Conquering challenges starts with your attitude.” Your turn though to keep the conversation going. Answer for the week’s extend-the-conversation question, “What well-meaning phrase of positive advice irks you the most?”
Answer below in the “Comments.” Afterwards, mark your calendar and join us every Wednesday on X. The fun begins at 8pm ET.
Until then, remember. Don’t blend in. Blend out!
-Zachary
#CPChatNow 