Be the difference...

Every time I watch "Extreme Home Makeover," I have to explain to my son that sometimes people cry when they're really happy. "Are you happy?" he asks, "because you don't look happy right now."

Well, son, that's because I need to stop watching this show, which is as bad as a series of Hallmark TV movies, leaving my face all swollen and puffy and our home totally devoid of tissues. I like that show, it inspires me in a much more positive way than say... "Intervention."

I like Intervention, too, for far from altruistic reasons! It's because, like most people who watch it, it makes me feel better about myself. No matter how tough things may seem in my on life, I can always tell myself "Well, damn, woman! At least, your life isn't as horrible as that person's!" I know, that's terrible, isn't it? (And you've never thought the same thing? Riiiiight!)

I prefer Extreme Home Makeover because the homeowners are often people going out of their way to help others in spite of their own diversity. It tends to makes me feel small, petty, and in need of a good kick in the nether regions. The episode I watched today was definitely one of those that kicked me in the parts!

It started off being about a family with three children, the youngest two were twins who were born with severe challenges. One couldn't walk without using a small walker and seemed to have some mental challenges, the other boy had hearing and eyesight problems - but both were extremely cheerful, as the challenged usually are (which makes me feel like an even bigger horse's ass since I suffer from none of those challenges and spend far too much time moping or being pissed off over trivial things).

What made this episode extra special, as if those two boys weren't enough, was that several of the builders of their new home had disabilities, yet were climbing in and out of heavy equipment, ladders, etc... being far more agile than I have been in ages... me, with all my fully functioning limbs.

The person who really got to me was one of the volunteers from the town. He had cerebral palsy and could only walk with crutches, but was the first to tell you that the words "I can't" are not in his vocabulary. This man had been told by doctors that he would never walk, get married, or have children. He shared this as he stood there on his crutches, next to his wife and children.

I've been down in the dumps of late and having a difficult time shaking it off. This man made me feel so... ridiculous. The challenges I face are all ones that I could fix myself if I simply tried harder. The challenges this man faces each day will still be there every day of his life. My biggest problem, like many of us, is that I am simply don't want to make the extra effort and after watching this man today, I felt ashamed of myself.

Mahatma Gandhi said "Be the difference you want to see in the world."

It took a TV show for me to finally get it. What can I say, I am not always the sharpest crayon in the box... but I get there.