Hi everybody. This week we introduce you to a real super hero @traciegara. She started skating in skate parks a few years ago and has never looked back. Her ability to make others feel loved and seen is incredible.
What is paradise?
Paradise is a skatepark of course! Skateparks are full of the most amazing people…very accepting. Paradise can also be a beautiful garden or a quiet day with my pups. Or a cup of coffee and a plate of cookies……Paradise can be so many things, an afternoon in an art studio, I imagine Paradise can be found just about anywhere, not just one place.
Do people ever really change?
I believe you are who you are at the moment of birth. Yes, people can change, but not the part of them that is the deepest part of their personalities. Aren’t we supposed to change and grow with our circumstances? Tough question…..I suppose I know people on both sides of this fence! I cannot be sure. What sort of change are we talking about anyway?
What do you want the world to know about you?
I am not so sure that I care what the world thinks….only the people that surround me. (Although if I hear something negative that doesn’t mean my feelings won’t be hurt! I need to work on that.) What I wish people knew was that there’s no race to the finish line of life. Take your time you never know what amazing thing can happen in those extra 5 minutes you took. Today while grocery shopping a woman asked if I needed help (mind blown). We had a conversation. It turns out in that 5 minutes I learned we had a mutual friend, some random facts about her beautiful child named Bea. And I taught Bea to tie her shoes in the middle of a grocery store. That is a beautiful day.
When you think of the word successful, who is the first person who comes to mind?
No one person comes to mind when I hear the word successful. Why should it? Everyone defines success differently. I believe that an individual's definition of success can change depending upon what stage of life they are in. I do admire certain traits I see in others but I think I would have a hard time judging if someone is successful. Success is not a big home, a great car, large home, or a ton of money. Success is having joy in what you do, having a positive impact on others, or overcoming a difficulty. It can be creating something, living life with joy and happiness and being content with your circumstance. How can you choose one person…
What have you changed your mind about in the last few years? Why?
I can’t think of anything right now…
What has been your best investment?
The investment of time in various Charitable Organizations over the years. I have learned so much from so many! One in particular changed my life…..yes, I guess people can change! Hahahaha But they have to choose it and want it! Also investing time with kids doing anything. I believe an investment in your time is worth more than anything… If we are talking monetary, art supplies and tools.
When did you start skating and why?
My sport is called WCMX. Wheelchair Motocross. About 4 years ago I was volunteering and riding bicycles with kids through an organization that worked with kids in chairs. I fell in love with the kids and went to watch some of the other activities. I was invited out to watch the kids in a skatepark and a BBQ and went. A friend talked me into trying her chair. One time through the snake run and I was hooked! The difficult part for me was getting a chair. I was still walking with a cane, a very painful and slow process. This friend patiently explained a wheelchair is a tool and it will ENABLE you to do many things. 6 months later I had my chair! I named her Cookie Box. Now I can’t stop skating!
What have you learned from your wheelchair?
Oh, I have learned so many things from having my wheelchair! The most positive is it enables me to do more in a day than I could walking. She helps me reserve energy for the things I really enjoy instead of the things I need to get done. My chair lets me interact with the world in a very different way. I literally see things on a whole new level. 🤪🤪🤭 I have learned that very often I need to advocate to get seated where I would like to be in theaters, events, and restaurants. I have gained more patience with odd questions from strangers. Most I will answer because I feel like they were brave enough to be curious, until the questions become too invasive. 🤪🤪🤪 And I have learned that you can be invisible. Wheelchairs are a tool. Mine is my superpower.
What life skills are rarely taught but extremely useful?
Mind reading.
What is God?
Favorite quote?
“What matters most is how well you walk through the fire.”
Another is, “It isn’t whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”
This is a good quote for how you live your life as well as a good reference for the sporting life.
What experiences in life shaped you the most?
Oh boy. The good and the bad. You decide. I have older brothers. The teasing, the physical abuse, the name-calling, just childhood with parents that didn’t keep this in check... I am still sensitive about name-calling and teasing. I am more likely to stand up to others when I see it happening to them than when it happens to me. Yep folks, bullies do grow up to be bigger bullies. Go figure. 🤷🏻♀️ As a kid, we had to play sports in our family. This was pre-title 9 for me. Girls were allowed t-ball. I wanted to play what the boys did. Finally, girls were allowed to run track. At one point it was decided I was good at distances. I loved it. I promised at a young age to run until I was 80. I just do it differently. Off the subject, but now having a chair it is more difficult to be in sport. Especially female and in an “Extreme Sport.” These sports go unnoticed and pretty much unsupported. Disabled athletes are rarely sponsored if at all. Sure, you can apply for grants, but something like my WCMX chair is so expensive it is difficult to get one. Off the subject again! Even if one wanted to cycle you just can’t head to the local bicycle shop..okay. Stop Tracie. I would love to see kids in chairs playing❤️❤️❤️❤️‼️‼️🤗🤗🥰 And volunteering. I started doing different things at a young age I think it was through Girl Scouts, brownies...something. But it did leave an impression. Doing things for others is something that is always on my agenda.
Why do you love cookies so much?
COOKIES!!! Because you cannot be sad or not smile while eating a cookie! They make everything better! And they are so much fun to share🍪🍪🍪‼️ And there are some pretty amazing cookies in the world! Cookies are also an amazing ice breaker. Fun to share in skateparks.
What are your thoughts on falling down?
You can’t learn without falling. And falling makes you feel alive. Especially when you have a chair. And if you are in a skatepark what better opportunity to fall?