Impossible

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible" - Walt Disney.

I'd argue that one of the most important things that any of us can do is to find people and things that inspire us. To be inspired is to become motivated, energized, and focused. Motivated people can do amazing (some would say "impossible") things.

In the past I've mentioned my niece, Kyrie. I have a short description of why I've always found her to be so special on one of my website pages (she's near the bottom of the page). She recently turned 11 years old and her courage, determination, refusal to accept societal expectations of "normal" and general life energy are contagious to anyone who meets her.

Although she was born into this world with a number of physical "handicaps" she refuses to accept the concept of "can't". She refuses to be limited or otherwise accept that she should expect less out of life than anyone else. She's amazing,

One example - At the beginning of the school year she indicated that she wanted to join the choir. The initial problem for some is the fact that she can't talk. She's got a traech tube in her throat and communicates to the world using basic sounds and sign language. BUT - she can hum. And, she LOVES music. So, a highlight of this past school year for her was to get all dressed up and to participate in the Holiday choir performance.

Kyrie is the personification of "Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you deal with it." And, she continues to inspire me - my recent wrestling adventure is a good example.

The reason I mention her here today is because she had surgery yesterday. Among her many "challenges" is the fact that one leg is 2 inches longer than the other so she needs a special shoe to be able to walk. So they put some screws into one leg in hopes of evening them out, and that her knees will end up at approximately the same level. She's handling it like she handles everything else - like a trooper. Please send good thoughts her way.

If you check my Facebook updates recently I've been on a flower "kick" lately. I think I've mentioned in the past that my mom's Iris garden is a pretty amazing thing. The fact that she keeps it as organized, clean, fresh, and healthy as she does at 80 years old is another pretty amazing thing.

When her garden is in bloom it's breathtaking. And, all the hard work that goes into keeping it healthy to achieve those couple or three weeks is a commitment of time and energy that keeps my mom going. Thankfully, there are people who help her. This thing has raised beds, carpeting, labels on carefully measured rows - it's far more impressive than in this photo.

I'm on this flower kick because it's a reminder that so much is about the journey rather than the destination (plus, it's just beautiful). When life gets going fast it's easy to miss the simple beauty that's all around. I'm at a point where I'm purposefully slowing things down, taking deep breaths, refocusing, and in the process I'm noticing so much to appreciate. Expect more flower "stuff" for a while....

Yesterday I was talking about some of the hamburger yummies that I particularly enjoy. Today there was an article in USA Today highlighting some restaurant foods particularly high in sodium, calories, and/or saturated fat (read article here). Some of my favorite foods are on that list! Sigh.

I was talking with a friend tonight about how this blog has changed over the years. There was a time when it focused on news articles, politics, and other bigger picture things. The advent of other avenues - whether they be blogs, social networking, or other online channels - as well as the daily barrage of trans "stuff" has filled that need. This blog has become a more personal opportunity to share day-to-day stuff, some of which can be pretty interesting and some of which can be pretty mundane. Either way - this blog continues to evolve as do I.

Next up - major changes to the website. I hope to have some time to make major inroads there over the next couple of days. Today? I drove 200 miles this morning and took a nap this afternoon. And although I planned on saving half my dins for tomorrow the entire thing somehow disappeared. All in all - Donna Time is in full swing.

That said, there's a an article that just came out in the Los Angeles Times on trans rights (read it here). It's worth a read.

I'll end with a music video. I've been on the road quite a bit lately and one of the CD's that I've been playing over and over is one of the first inspirational CD's I found when I started my transition. I used to half-joke that they should include it in every transition "Welcome Wagon" goodie bag because every song seemed to hit a nerve in one way or another for me. I find it still does.

Here's one song of particular relevance. It's by Sarah McLachlan and is titled "Good Enough".

Good night.