Most of us take for granted all that our brains enable us to do. Take walking, for example. To walk with ease (continuously putting one foot in front of the other and swinging our arms in rhythm with our feet) takes a lot of coordination. Add to that, paying attention to our path to make sure we’re not going to trip over uneven sidewalk, having a conversation with someone walking with us, and perhaps even holding a cup of coffee at the same time. You can start to see that something that we do every day takes a lot of coordinated effort that most of us don’t even think about. One can now appreciate how much coordination it takes to ride a bike or drive a car. These things most of us do without “thinking” about it.
That’s why when Taylor performs something new, no matter how inconsequential it may seem to the rest of us, we celebrate. We celebrate because it gets her that much closer to independent living. She has many small goals (like learning how to swim, ride a bike, eat with chopsticks again), but her big goal still is to go back to school. Recently, some things that Taylor has accomplished include riding on an escalator (with assistance) and being able to hold a spoon and spoon food out of a bowl and to her mouth. She continues to make little gains, and even though they are small, they continue to be steps in the right direction.
Hey T-Bone,
Just wanted to say that I was thinking about you this week. I hope you’re doing well in California. We love you and miss you back here!
James
It’s been so great to see all the progress!!! I can’t wait to hear that she’s ready to go back to MIT. =) =) =) =)
Hi Taylor, we are so happy for your success and amazing progress! You are PERFECT and we love you!! Love from Lydia and Jack
Thank you for sharing these celebrations with everyone, so we can cheer, too. You have probably heard this quote before, it is often attributed to Mother Teresa, though the internet suggests maybe not. This post reminded me of it: We cannot do great things, but we can do small things with great love.
This is all wonderful to hear 🙂 And I whole-heartedly support your desire to return to school. For one thing, we need as many motivated and gifted people as possible in the sciences!
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”…and Taylor has been taking many “single steps”, which are adding up to miles. Very exciting! Good for you, Taylor.
As you have grown as a person, Taylor, our family watches by and celebrates every moment of it with you. I rejoice for everything you have achieved; I will be there to cheer you on for everything you will achieve.
Of course, you should celebrate every single step forward — each are huge accomplishment! I look forward to hearing about each step and cheering you on!