Telling Our Stories

The moment Britt arrived at college she was suddenly hyperaware of her wheelchair. How will I traverse these brick walkways with tree roots shooting up? How will I make it across the 1/4 mile campus within my 10 minute passing period? When will the other students stop staring and actually say "hi"? That 45% hill in the ice is NOT going to work!

And then the day came when it was time for Britt's questions all to be answered. It snowed relentlessly that day piling up snow as far as she could see. On her way from philosophy class to English, she came upon The Hill. Halfway down, she realized the snow had been packed down by foot traffic and ice froze over the entire walkway. She was stuck. In 15 degree weather, with wind blowing and the metal of her wheelchair freezing against her fingers, she sat there with fellow students and staff passing her by, terrified to ask for the one thing she needed: support. Passersby came and went, and Britt sat there immobilized by her wheelchair stuck in dangerous ice that would surely tip her chair, and by the fear of asking for support from a nearby stranger. Even so, those that passed offered "Can I help you?" and Britt refused. Hours passed, the sun was setting, and she was running out of time. Britt could feel her wheelchair inching away on the icy slope. And her pride was slowly beginning to fade with the chilling of the temperature.

Okay, fine! She thought. She looked up at a fellow student walking to class and said, "Can I get a little help down?" The stranger smiled and immediately came over, "Of course, I'd be happy to!" She instructed him to push her wheelchair down the slope slowly, and he followed every instruction she gave. They began to talk about their classes and the chilly day, laughed a bit, and without noticing, this kind fellow wheeled Britt all the way to her residence hall. To this day, Colin and Britt are still friends.

We all have stories to tell. Sometimes we need support in telling our story, valuing our strengths, or reaching our goals. The practice of Cheers! Coaching is to