Pretty Woman

I love that song!

Roy Orbison sang it like no one has been able to since he originally released it in August of 1964... Long time ago, I know. But some things are timeless and that song is one of the great, all-time classics that will never go out of style.

It's part of my playlist. Check it out:

Roy Orbison "Pretty Woman"


As I listened to it the other day, I got to thinking about how far I've come with this muscle disease.

Pretty woman...walkin' down the street,
Pretty woman...the kind I'd like to meet,
Pretty woman...

You know the rest.

He sees an attractive woman and sings about her...it's the stuff of movies, poetry, romance novels and hit songs! Ever wonder how she was feeling that day? Did she feel pretty? Was she confident? Or was it his attention that gave her the courage to turn back around to talk to him?

I know. I know! My imagination runs away with me a lot! It's just a song...

But women with 'equipment' struggle with feeling pretty. At least I did...Quite a bit.

I didn't like the fact that people, in general, would always see my 'equipment' before they ever saw me. And my equipment isn't pretty. In fact, it's pretty utilitarian. My walker preceded me everywhere I went. My wheelchair makes me short and different from other people.
I stand out.

And I don't like standing out.

People stare.

And I don't like that either.

But the staring isn't something unique to me. It's the equipment. It goes with the territory.

So for awhile, I was very self-conscious when I went out in public. Awkward. Clumsy. Nervous.

I refused to make eye contact with anyone. I didn't want to see who was staring. I felt a lot less than attractive.

I did not give up going out in public, however.
Which is important.
Slowly, I began to get my confidence back. It helped as I became more proficient with my equipment.  I learned the ins and outs of the rolling lifestyle. I adapted.

There came a time when I began making eye contact again. I talked to people. They talked to me.
"This is great!" I recall thinking at Starbucks one day. A sense of deep accomplishment welled up in me.
"I can do this!"

Sometimes I'll still scan the room just to see how many staring eyes are on me. It still impacts me, though not as much. Depending on my mood, I'll ignore them or I'll wave and say, 'Good morning!" That usually throws them into a quick panic. No one knows where to look! Usually it's down...

I even feel attractive again.

It didn't come from anyone else.

It came from accepting myself the way I am.
Which brought confidence.
Which has drawn people to me.
Which has opened up new doors for me.


People say that I look perfectly "normal" when I'm sitting in a chair! And that they'd never know there was anything wrong with me!

I just laugh.

This is perfectly normal...For me.

Stay attractive friends xx