Keeping it sunny...

It’s been way too long since I’ve posted out here.  For those of you who have asked for an update – thank you, and here it is…

I have to say that overall, Kaitlyn is doing great.  She has settled into 4^th grade nicely.  She loves her teacher and has some nice friends in her class.  She is taking jazz again this year, and continues to love to dance.  She has also joined the chorus at school, which is right up her alley.  At 9 & ½, she’s definitely becoming her own person.  She loves fashion, and spends lots of time sketching outfits in her favorite fashion design book. 

On the CP front, we continue to ride the up and down roller coaster of good days and bad days.  She had a round of injections in the spring that really gave her some much needed flexibility.  She had a good summer with fewer falls and more independent walking.  On the flip side, dealing with her condition emotionally has not gotten any better.  She continues to question why this happened to her, why there isn’t a cure for it, and how what she’s going to be like as a grown up.  Simply put – it’s a lot for a little girl to deal with.

With all that she has to worry about, I continue to be amazed at Kaitlyn’s spirit.  I think that we would understand if she became angry, withdrawn or depressed, but that’s just not how she rolls.  At least once a day I see her take a fall that is clearly painful.  I especially hate the ones where she falls backwards and whacks her head, or the countless falls in the summer on the pavement that resulted in scraped knees.  I am in complete awe at this point that Kaitlyn manages to get back up from each and every fall, brush herself off, and keep a smile on her face.  Let’s face it, getting a lump on your head or scraping your knees and elbows to the point where they are constantly bleeding hurts!  For as sweet and delicate of a little lady that she is, she is one tough cookie. 

Over the weekend I experienced one of those moments in life that you know you will never forget.  Kaitlyn’s very first dance teacher is an amazing woman named Sandi.  Sandi is one of those people who seems to have a light that follows her wherever she goes.  She exudes a positive energy that is so contagious one can’t help but smile in her presence.  When Kaitlyn was 5 years old she started dancing.  She marched into Sandi’s class with her walker and a big smile, and Sandi embraced her in every sense of the word.  She treated Kaitlyn just like every other student from day one.  She encouraged Kaitlyn to try everything, and it became clear right away that Sandi saw Kaitlyn as we do – a happy, excited little girl who desperately wanted to dance, and just happened to have cerebral palsy.  Sandi is in the process of writing what is sure to be an amazing book about the healing power of dance.  She asked me if she could interview Kaitlyn and ask her some questions about how dance has impacted her life.

As I listened to Kaitlyn tell Sandi how much she loves to dance, there was one thing she said that will stick with me forever.  Sandi was talking to Kaitlyn about how hard it must be to fall when she’s dancing, acknowledging that sometimes it must really hurt.  She noted that she was impressed that Kaitlyn always gets back up, dusts herself off and keeps on dancing.  When she asked how Kaitlyn was able to keep positive and keep going, Kaitlyn said “I always keep it sunny in my head.”  I always knew that Kaitlyn is a positive thinker, but I never heard her put it quite that way.  She went on to say that there are rainbows and fairies and happy things in her head, and that when things get tough she just thinks of happy things.

So, I now have a new mantra – “I always keep in sunny in my head”.  I mean really, how can I ever allow myself to get worked up over life’s little frustrations, when Kaitlyn is able to deal with the monumental challenges that CP heaps on her every day, but still manages to keep a sunny outlook??? 

Sometimes it’s nice to have a reminder of how much there is to be learned from a 9 year old J.

Keeping it sunny...