I found myself going back and forth between the multiple options before me on how to start my very first blog post. My options included quoting the song lyrics to Hey you by the artist Pink Floyd which go as follows:
Hey you, out there in the cold Getting lonely, getting old
I found these lyrics to be terribly relevant considering our current situation. Letʼs be real... it has been cold! Iʼll be straight with you and say that Iʼm really over this cold weather. The song goes on further to say getting lonely, getting old, which given our current lockdown situation ( 122 days and counting) I do feel myself getting lonely and old ( at the fresh age of 21).
I also considered the opening lines to the Netflix hit series You which goes something along the lines of “Well hello there... who are you?” But I quickly realized that this may seem a bit strange considering how the events of the series played out ( if you havenʼt watched it I highly recommend it, itʼs enthralling!)
By the time I grappled with all of this I realized it would probably be best to start with a simple Hello. My name is Tayla Owen-Jones, and Iʼm here to tell you my story.
Iʼll save you the long history, but I was born at 28 weeks making me just a touch premature. We always joke in my house and say that I was just too eager to join the party. Because of a resulting lack of oxygen to my brain, I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy when I was 3. This has come with its challenges in the fact that I walk with a limp. Despite what you might be thinking, this is quite doable, the only downside is that I trip over almost anything ( thin air included) and a pair of shoes lasts my no longer than six months due to the fact that I drag my foot. I have no problem with this as it always gives me an excuse to go shopping.
Since the age of 3, I have engaged in multiple activities that are in place to aid my disability. These include weekly Physio sessions and horse riding, as the warmth of the horse aids the spasticity in my legs. Now before you go feeling sorry for me I should add that there are so many perks to being the way that I am. Mainly the parking and skipping the queue at home affairs.
Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, let me actually tell you about me.
Iʼm 21, and am currently in my 3rd year of a BA in Psychology and
Communications at Varsity College. My dream is to continue this into my
honors degree and eventually my Masters in Psychology. I attended a wonderful school, and during my time there participated in as many activities as possible including Public Speaking, Major Production, Swimming, and the school's outreach projects. Performing Arts has been a big part of my life for a long time, I have participated in various competitions including the National Eisteddfod, South African Championships of Performing Arts and have been to LA to represent my country in the Performing Arts. I love to write, obviously, and also have a keen passion for photography and succulents ( donʼt get me started I could go all day).
If you are reading this, I really hope this blog inspires you and provides some insight into what it is like living with a disability. Hopefully, you will come to realize that I am actually quite 'normalʼ. I have a family, a dog, a cat, and the most amazing group of friends. I go about my day to day life with the passion, enthusiasm, and kindness that has been installed in me and I hope to share this with others.
I canʼt wait for you to share this journey with me
Enjoy!
Tayla
