"I'm so lucky..."

OK I Just lost playing the videogame SuperMario Party 7 to my youngest nephew. He always beats me at that game because, as his older brother points out, "Aunt Ruthie has no hands to use. "

I do have hands. They just don't work the controllers. So my poor little Yoshi guy is being eaten alive, stomped on by these strange looking creatures in mini games, swallowed in lava pits - you get the idea - while my nephew hops around the game board collecting coins and buying windmills or some such thing.

I can use the joy stick. A little. OK so I'm not good at that either.

But it doesn't matter. My nephew enjoys it. But when his brother says that I lose because of my hands, my nephew replies "No, it's because I'm just so lucky."

Lucky, my dear child? Yes, in many ways he is.

But he is also plucky. I love his attitude as he works hard to deal with his CP and the many ramifications from that. He types twice as fast as he did two months ago, swims longer, uses a wheelchair better and, throughout it all, smiles most of the time.

He faces a myriad of other problems that most of us will never have to contend with.

But I agree - he is lucky.

Mostly because the reality is that the attitude we have determines the quality of our lives more than our circumstances. And he has a good one.