"I will love myself despite the ease with which I lean toward the opposite." - Shane Koyczan

In June, I received the opportunity to volunteer at the National Down Syndrome Congress convention here in Arizona! (Where I met my mom crush Elizabeth a.k.a Confessions of the Chromosomally Enhanced a.k.a Catfish with Ketchup!!!!!) I ran the Gigi's Playhouse booth along with some other amazing women from other playhouses throughout the United States! I had the privilege of meeting a young man there who was a participant with Down syndrome from the original Gigi's Playhouse in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. We were enjoying a sample...or two...okay, maybe more...off the tray we had to pass out cookies from. I nonchalantly made a comment along the lines of "I better stop eating all these cookies or I will get fat!" He turned, looked at me in shock, and proceeded to explain to me that it's not about the size of your body, but about the size of your heart.

While I was hung up on he fact that a couple cookies might break the scale, my new friend couldn't seem to wrap his mind around why this would be a deterrent from eating any more cookies - they tasted good and made us happy.

Individuals with special needs have a unique and beautiful way of viewing life. I always need a reminder to slow down and not be so obsessed with the number of cookies I ate. Instead, I should be thinking about the happiness they made me feel.