Like an Ocean

For the most part, I love my Tuesdays. Typically I spend the morning hours working on a yacht. I dont mean swabbing decks or polishing banistersother folks take care of that. To clarify, I work part-time for a variety of clients doing primarily office management type work, mostly for high-net worth individuals. In addition, I also do bookkeeping for a few non-profit organizations as well. On Tuesday mornings, my hours are spent working for a client who lives on his 60 ft. yacht. I open the mail (he opens NOTHING in between my visits), pay bills, handle light bookkeeping and occasionally bird-dog other task management projects that he asks me to look after. On beautiful mornings, there is no better place to work than in the luxurious surroundings of a custom designed yacht, docked in a charming marina where tourists from all over the world wander leisurely along the piers. Aside from the fact that I have an issue with motion sickness, there isnt much for me to complain about there. I tough it out with the never-ending motion of the boat and occasional dizziness that follows because I love the setting. In all fairness, I should also say that the client is truly a very nice guy to work with, and expresses his appreciation for my efforts quite often. So, whod want to walk away from that? Well, quite honestlysome days, I do. Especially when the weather isnt so picture perfect, or when the tide is low. On those days, just getting on and off the boat are a challenge. The access off the main pier is no big deal if youre a cat. But this morning I didnt go there, because my client gave me an 11th hour notice that hes away this week. Was I disappointed? Not really. So, instead I went to my Tuesday afternoon client, which is a local school district. I do the bookkeeping for their non-profit Foundation, which raises money to bridge the state funding gaps. The office manager there is a highly efficient, detail oriented, one-woman band. She does it all. Well, almost all. I do the bookkeeping, but she does all the rest. I like her a lot and really enjoy going to work in such an efficient and well managed office. Shes a divorced mom raising two boys, one of which is a freshman in high school, and the other is a fifth grader who attends the grade school adjacent to the Foundation office. He stops in after school to say hello to his mom, and then heads on home with his buddies if shes not yet ready to leave. Hes very personable and the kind of kid who converses easily and comfortably with adults. Id never have guessed he has any learning issues, had his mom not shared a poem with me today that hed written for school. It turns out that his brain has difficulty zeroing inhe cant interpret what he visually sees, such as groups of letters in order to grasp the words that they form. He also has difficulty with his fine motor skills, like writing and navigating a keyboard. Yet, intellectually he is extremely bright. If hes tested verbally, hes a very strong student at grade level. If hes tested with written exams, the result is very different. His reading and writing abilities put him at a low first grade level. So, throughout his grade school experience, hes been placed in classes with other learning disabled children, some of which are autistic. His mom thinks a friend actually did the typing while her son dictated the poem, which is titled My Disability. What really got to me was the very first line, which reads I am disabled and still happy. Disabled. That word to me would imply a detectable physical disability of some kind. But in this case, he moves and sounds and interacts just like a normal, happy and well-adjusted fifth grader. His only disability is so invisible to the rest of us, that only his educators would be aware of it. He writes about the wild sound of his brain, and watching success disappear before his eyes. He writes of his desire to be like everyone else. And he writes about his sense of frustration and

feeling annoyed. He expresses his wish to be successful in life, and to make his parents proud, knowing that he touches their hearts when he succeeds. His mantra is If I dont succeed today, I will tomorrow. And, he hopes his disability will go away. But until then, he is disabled and still happy. The insight he so poignantly expresses seems beyond his ten years of life on this earth. Its made me stop and think about the journey we all must take in life. We all have challenges to face, and no one navigates the turbulent waters blessed by skill alone. Life has its ups and downs, just like an ocean. But this young man has already figured out that the best way to ride it out is with a happy heart. His glass is half full, in spite of the wild sound of his brain. Half FULL. Hes not even my son, but I already know how very special he is. As he approaches his teen years and adulthood beyond, I hope he can hold on to that happy heart with a tight determination, so he can teach educators a thing or two about being disabled.

++++++++++++++++ Dear Scribd followers: I'm a daughter, sister, wife and mother. I'm a volunteer who promotes the well being of our oceans and the marine mammals who live there. I'm a bookkeeper who works with non-profit organizations and high net-worth clients who allow me the ultimate trust with their personal lives. I used to be an equestrian, a skier, a corporate girl, and I've volunteered for so many worthy organizations, schools and hospitals over the years, all across the country. Here's who I am: I'm a survivor of all the turbulence life can throw my way. That includes so many twists and turns that I've decided to blog about it. Occasionally, I have so much on my mind, I write essays in the wee hours of the night. I've posted most of those on my site as well. You can decide for yourself, but I'm pretty sure you won't be confused about who I am after you begin reading. Your comments are always welcome and very much appreciated. Scribd was my first writing home, and although my attention has been distracted this past year by starting my own blog, I hope to rekindle my shy presence here as well. My blog site is called Life and Other Turbulenceyour search engine will find me.