A Community Blog
This blood can be read aloud
The best way to master a new language is to immerse yourself completely in its culture. For the first community blog of 2026, I invite you to join me in this exploration. I want to invite you into the world of disability awareness—not just to see how I live, but to learn how disability culture can reshape your understanding of the world.
John 12:25 NIV [25] Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
From the outside looking in, many people see my life through a lens of lack. They might see a man without a traditional nine-to-five career and assume he has no path, no prospects for a family, or no chance at success. In a society that measures worth by visible output, they might call it a “loser” lifestyle. To an extent, their observations of my physical limitations are correct—but their conclusions are entirely wrong. Disability has taught me the immense value of living what I call a “backwards life”.
In America, we are often guilty of a dangerous short-sightedness. We tend to only value what is directly in front of us—the things we can touch, see, or buy. We chase momentary satisfaction and fast-paced metrics, but disability forces a different perspective. It demands that we look at the bigger picture of humanity.
Take the simple act of getting out of bed. I cannot do this on my own. On the surface, that feels like a loss of independence. But in reality, it creates a moment of profound connection. To get up, I have to hug a caregiver or a friend. In a world where so many people live without love or physical affection, I start every single day with a human embrace. Who is truly more “independent”—the person who stands up alone, or the person who begins their day fueled by a community of support?
During a recent physical therapy session, I took approximately 20 steps. By the end, I was exhausted, drenched in sweat, and guzzling water as if I’d run a marathon. It was a monumental effort for a seemingly small distance.
Contrast that with the thousands of people who walk miles every day but never actually “go” anywhere. They move through their lives on autopilot, working jobs they don’t like to buy fashion they don’t need or tools they won’t use. They are moving, but they aren’t progressing. They are chasing a momentary satisfaction that evaporates as soon as the next trend arrives.
I am a capitalist—I sell books and bonus content because money and resources are necessary tools for advocacy. But money only matters if you are intentional with it. We are wasting our lives in front of screens and empty consumerism. We are existing, but we aren’t necessarily living.
Perspective applies to our hearts, too. Many people spend their lives chasing relationships they know are wrong for them, simply to avoid being alone. I’ve been there. I’ve gone to sleep crying because I had to accept that a person I wanted was not “the one” for me.
But I’ve learned that it is better to find the one person who truly matters than to chase four relationships that go nowhere. The “backwards” way to find love isn’t to chase it; it’s to stand out and let it come to you. When you stop chasing the wrong things and instead let your own light shine, the world begins to see you for who you truly are.
As we move into 2026, I challenge you to look at your own “front-facing” values. Are you walking just to move, or are you walking with purpose? Are you surrounding yourself with things, or with people?
Living a backwards life isn’t about moving in reverse—it’s about refusing to follow a society that is heading in the wrong direction. Thank you for being part of this community, for reading, and for listening. Let’s make this year about the things we can’t always see, but that matter the most.
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