Born with a muscle disorder that affected his legs, Luca “LazyLegz” Patuelli didn’t allow his condition to stop him from doing what he loves most, dancing.

His inspiring story  of overcoming his disabilty swept both Canada, the US, and the rest of the world. He performs breakdancing, won the judges’ hearts in the popular show “So You Think You Can Dance” and has appeared in the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, Canada.

Speaking of dance, while cleaning up my daughter’s room, I found a stray note entitled “So You Can’t Dance?”. As a fanatico of the art, it moved my soul like upbeat music. I started to dance with a song in my mind.

So You Can’t Dance

So you can’t dance? Not at all?
Not even one step?
How can you say that you’ve taken any trouble to live when you won’t even try to dance?

Dance
Is music made visible.
Is the world most famous metaphor.
Is silent poetry.
Is the mother of all arts.

Dance is the hidden language of the soul.
Dancers are the athletes of God.
Nothing is more revealing than DANCING.
Dancing is dreaming with your feet.

DANCE to EXPRESS, not to impress
Dance first, think later, it’s the natural order.
Dance like nobody’s watching.
Let the music move your body.

All it takes is to convince your mind to move your feet.
No one can arrive from being talent alone.
God gives talent, work transgresses talent
To touch, to move, to inspire
This is the true gift of Dance
Everyone can Dance.
The only way to do it, is to believe in yourself and do it!

Dance teaches us a lot about life.  One either moves and flows with the music, or holds back. In a world that plays the music of love, pain, joy, grief and grace, the way to live is to take brave and wise steps, express oneself, believe in the best, and dance with others.

This poem and Luca remind us that disability is all in the mind. We have gifts inside of us, abilities untapped, and talents that are yet to be discovered and used.

Believe, talk yourself into the music, and take bold steps.

Standing and waiting gets us nowhere. Dance!

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When I’m hurt and aching, when I feel like life is tumbling down on me I ask myself “What if I’m born blind?” I wonder how it feels to be visually impaired. Then I feel grateful for my eyes and my life.

I came across the name Joe Monks, a blind film director. Due to diabetes, he lost his eyesight in 2002. He is now visually impaired and yet he did not let that hold him back.  He wrote and directed the pyschological thriller  The Bunker which garnered him an  Achievement in Cinema Award during the 2011 Gasparilla International Film Festival. It is said that he composed a heart stirring speech 10 minutes before he went on stage.

“If one takes away your sight, it does not mean it can take away your vision. When you see a closed door, it does not mean it is locked.” He goes on to say that even if the door is locked, it is our job to pick the lock, take off the hinges, or break the door down. There are no excuses for anyone to not achieve his goal.  Being blind is not. Watch.

Are you appreciating what you have in your life now? Or are you making excuses? I am guilty as charged. But then again, let us not feel bad about what we have not done in the past. What matters most is what are we doing starting today to open the door that may seem close to us.

Joe Monks for sure has his moments too. Instead of wallowing on his lost, he moved forward. It’s not what happens to us but what we do about it. He lost his sight but he kept his vision.

Life will throw us lemon many times. Think of turning these lemons into lemonade. It’s bitter sweet and refreshing.  Don’t let any circumstances or anybody stand in your way. No matter what happens life goes on for you and me. It’s always our own choice to move forward.

When One Door Closes, Kick It!

Some 20 years ago, skiing was considered the elitist sport and mountain resorts did not welcome the “nuisance” crazy sport called snowboarding. But that has all changed when adventurous men and women of the 80’s craving for an exhilarating downhill ride wanted more. By 1998 and due to its global popularity, snowboarding was officially welcomed into the Winter Olympics.

Getting On Board

Last week, I, along with my husband, youngest daughter, and some relatives checked in to North America’s #1 mountain resort, Whistler BlackComb for a 10-day winter vacation. We are fortunate members of Club Intrawest, a premier resort club in Canada with network of resorts located in Whistler, Las Vegas, Honolulu, Florida and Mexico. (I suggest you sit for a briefing to know more about Club Intrawest‘ privileges which are great for you and your family. And oh, you may want to mention my name so we can share a glass of my favorite pina colada as a referral token.)

I know how to ski, but snowboarding is a complete stranger to me. What I do know however, is that it was often considered more dangerous than skiing. Nevertheless, I mustered up the strength to learn something new – after all, that is typically Jhet. In my mind, I listed the reasons why I should get my feet on the board:

1. My goal is to learn a new sport. Not just to try, but to learn.
2. I see a lot of snowboarders jumping off the mountain and that looks like fun.
3. My two daughters are into snowboarding, so why shouldn’t I?
4. My family is with me and we are cheerleading each other, nothing beats a greater environment than that.

First things first, the gears. Snowboarding outfit and equipment are quite costly. A complete set which include the board, gloves, wrist protector, and boots for starters would cost anywhere from $600-1000++. So better take this new sports to heart. Once I invested on these, I knew I have to be committed. There are variety of shops up the resort to buy your gears from, you also have the option to rent while you are in Whistler.

My lessons were set the second day. I am both excited and apprehensive, already convinced that with fun comes bruises, and body aches. A friend wrote “snowboarding is difficult to learn but once you get the hang of it, you’ll never go back skiing again.” Avid skiers, on the other hand, say, “Skiing is better than snowboarding. If you want to get hurt, go snowboarding. Snowboarders are a nuisance in the mountain, it’s for the crazy people.”

That sounds pretty controversial doesn’t it? But up there, everyone was friendly and was willing to share the slopes whether on snowboard or ski. For me, it’s all about preference and what gives me more fun. Stick to whichever sport suits you. But hey, there’s no harm in learning both.

My instructor, Leif, a young Australian snowboarder, taught me the basics: how to ride the board, balance my body, and observe safety precautions. For beginners, hiring an instructor is highly recommended because statistics show that four to six per thousand persons get seriously injured each day. Don’t be scared, just watch your speed. Whistler happens to have the best variety of instructors from the world over – Australian, Japanese, Koreans, Canadians, French, German – pick yours.

After my snowboarding lecture and actual lessons on the snow, my body was already aching. The negative 24 degrees made it worst, my first time in 23 years living in Canada! I thought, why am I switching from ski to the board when I was able to do the green, the blue runs, and even the black diamond? These are the easiest, intermediate, and advanced level of difficulty of skiing, respectively.

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