The Mask Came Off When the Wheels Came On

I spent most of my life masking—trying to be what other people wanted.

Cool enough.

Pretty enough.

"Normal" enough.

But deep down, I always felt like I was hiding—editing myself to make others comfortable.

Ironically, it wasn’t until I got this wheelchair that I finally started to feel free.

Not because the chair fixed everything.

But because the chair gave me permission to stop pretending.

Suddenly, I didn't have to mask as much.

I didn’t have to hustle for approval in the same way.

The expectations shifted—and in that space, I found room to finally be real.

The wheelchair didn’t trap me.

It released me.

It became the turning point where I stopped living for other people’s comfort, and started living for my own truth.

(I feel so cliche, uploading this while I'm out at Tim Hortons drinking a decaf tea)