It was Wednesday night, my week in San Diego hadn’t been going all that well. I had been out walking, checking out different areas getting in my steps, hoping to find a place to hang out and maybe meet someone to talk with—solo travel can feel lonely sometimes. After 5 miles, I was back at my hotel without finding a spot or meeting anyone. I decided to walk across the street to a restaurant/bar that I had been too packed every time I had been there. Tonight was no different, bar was full. Back to my hotel I went.
I stepped into the hotel and started toward the elevators to my room but paused. No, I turned and headed to the hotel bar instead. I decided if the Stars hockey game was on, I’d grab a beer, watch for a bit, and maybe strike up a conversation with someone. The game was on, so I settled at the bar, ordered a Mango Cart, and focused on the game.
About ten minutes later, a guy walked up and asked if I minded if he took a seat. “Not at all,” I said. After some small talk, he looked at my missing arm, asked about it, and tapped his leg—he was an amputee too. If we’d just talked as two amputees, I would have loved that. I discovered in the last couple years that being a part of the amputee/limb difference community was something I needed, and this was great.
As we are talking I tell him about me discovering that the community was something I had been missing for ~30 years. He tells me how that has been a big help to him. Somewhere in there he told me he lives in Kansas City, so that takes us down a whole other path about family since my youngest daughter lives there.
Here’s where things get a little freaky. We get back to the amputee community and I tell him how I found community… it all started with Thundergong. He gets a big smile and I FEEL this connection between him and I get stronger. I tell him how one night in bed I was scrolling the internet and came across this thing called Thundergong. Interesting. And look, it’s in Kansas City (my youngest had just moved there a few months earlier). As I read more about it, I saw that it is to raise money for Steps of Faith which helps people without insurance get prosthetics. So I start reading about the foundation and found myself getting really excited. Up until coming across this, I have not read about/interacted with/or had anything to do with other amputees. I had to go to this and felt the pull to get involved. Leading up to Thundergong, I had started following Steps of Faith, and later Billie Brimblecom (CEO). I told him it was through all this that I realized I had been missing something all these years. This was the start of a turning point for me in accepting and no longer hating myself (didn’t even realize I did).
I wrote this as I was working through all this: A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
All the while he has this grin, this knowing grin on his face. I continue and tell him that after Thundergong I had reached out to Billie and we exchanged messages. Now he’s like “No f*cking way”, and asks me to take a selfie. I then tell him on one of my trips to KC, Billie and I met up for lunch and it really helped push me further along this path of acceptance. I tell him how much I admire Billie and what a great guy he is. He then tells me he knows Billie (had a feeling he did) and talk about that for a bit and then he texts Billie the selfie he took. Billie replies with some kind words.
As we continue talking, he tells me he is on the board of Steps of Faith, the President actually! Mind f’in blown! We were both in disbelief of how this unfolded, just unbelievable. As we continued talking, we both would stop and say how unreal it all felt.
On a night that I was feeling lonely and was hoping for connection, I found it in such an unexpected way. I left the bar after an unforgettable experience, with a new friend I’ll definitely be hitting up next time I’m in KC. Very grateful!