When was the last time you looked in the mirror and said, “I love you.” If you’ve never done it, then start today. Take yourself on a date, get up, clean your apartment, go on a walk, work out, and plan a staycation with yourself. Work on you. Do beautiful things that make you happy so that you can then share that happiness with others.

How often has it been expressed that, “Looks don’t matter,” and how often has this statement been true? Is it truly possible to live beyond the physical and see people for who they are and not solely on what they look like?

People living with disabilities can be targets of downward comparison to non-disabled individuals because of societal barriers and expectations. Deviating from these expectations can lead to shame, ridicule, guilt, anxiety, and depression.

My experiences as a person living with a disability through congenital amputation have revealed that there are people who choose apathy over empathy, and that scares me.