People Who Have Inspired Me: Teddy

When I initially met Teddy I admittedly would have given almost anything to be someone who seemed much more impressive to her than a teenage disabled boy.   I was nervous about talking to her, because I had difficulty trusting that I was nearly good enough to be her friend and I assumed that she already had several better friends to spend time with than me which was very intimidating.  I had usually been able to make new friends easily, but it still motivates me to be more outgoing and friendly to people when I remember how much it bothered me to think that Teddy probably never would want to have anything to do with me.  I certainly wasn't expecting Teddy to go out of her way to be as kind to me as she has been. I'm very grateful that just by being kind to me, and building me up, she brought out a lot of untapped potential in me that I didn't know I had.

The first time that I complimented Teddy on how well she could sing I remember her response was that she could sing a little.  I don't think that Teddy intended that to be a meaningful statement, but that comment made me become more focused on trying to figure out how to use whatever skills, talents and abilities I had to make the world a little better place like she does.  Growing up I wanted to play professional basketball some day more than anything and be able to help a significant amount of people with the millions of dollars I was planning to earn from playing a sport that I enjoy.  So I'll always appreciate that the process of trying to become Teddy's friend allowed me to understand that I'd still have something to offer whether I ever played basketball again or not. It's also been good for me to realize that I'll still be eager to have Teddy as a friend when she can't sing as well as she does now, because aside from that she's a wonderful person that I've gained a lot of respect for since I've known her.

Teddy's been a very inspiring person in my life. Our friendship has gone a long way toward helping me to become who I've actually needed to be so far and has been very beneficial to me.  I appreciate that Teddy has been willing to be so kind to me especially during the times that I've struggled the most.   My friendship with Teddy has made a very positive difference in my life and it's been fun for me to see how life has worked out since we became friends.