Special Boys and Their Personal Space

I went on a hike/run this morning. When I arrived at the parking lot, there were no other cars there. NONE. It was odd and unsettling and of course my mind went straight to Mountain Lions. Was no one here because there was a sighting? I looked at the board at the bottom of the North Rim Trail and there was no mention of Mountain Lions. Phew.

My back has been bothering me so much - I felt every single step on the way up. I did some short runs up the hill, then ran all but about a tenth of a mile down. On the way down I had to concentrate on not falling, so I was distracted from my back. If I'm diligent about stretching everyday, it's fine, but if I forget and skip a day, I'm sunk.

I've been noticing some really sweet pictures of John Travolta and his son on the Internet. Jet looks like such a sweet boy and his dad looks absolutely smitten. There's something about kids with special needs - they are extra open and welcoming, there is no guard.

Have you noticed how in the photos their heads are always close together? Max is like that. He wants his head right under my chin. He has no guard. He does the goofiest things sometimes, like yesterday I took him to get xrays of his thumbs and wrists (his contractures are causing his thumbs to dislocate) and he kept leaning way to the left, like he thought he could lean himself out of his wheelchair. I'd prop his head back up. He'd lean again. People kept looking at him like, kid, you are going to hurt yourself, but he was focused on the goal.

If he wants to do something (or not do something) then he just does it and he gives no thought to how it looks or sounds. I wish I could be that free.

Parenting a special kid can be a real challenge, but it's also a gift.