Don't Be Afraid To Eat Soup With A Fork

[Chris Rathje]

Hello Everyone!

My name is Chris Rathje and I have just started writing full time. After Daryn's gracious invitation I have decided to share a post I wrote on my blog.

Don't Be Afraid To Eat Soup With A Fork

This unusual saying is one of my favorite quotes of all time. A little over three years ago I was multitasking cleaning my apartment and watching the post game of a NBA game on TNT. Analyst Kenny Smith was commenting on a team's defense (which I believe was the Detroit Pistons but please do not hold me to this) when he said that the team was not afraid to eat soup with a fork. I instantly knew what he was talking about because I have been eating soup with a fork for my entire life.

Even though this is one of my favorite quotes of all time this idea lay dormant in my head for several years. (Thanks for the reminder Nicole!)

Mr. Smith later went on to expound upon his point. The team had an ugly and inefficient way of playing defense but they made the most of what they had and worked so much harder than their opponents they still came up victorious most of the time.

Based on personal observation my function level (a term used to describe the severity level of my disability) seems to be quite unique even when comparing it to other people with cerebral palsy. I am blessed to have an extremely strong upper body for stationary tasks however I have some other weaknesses such as spasms and weak legs that don't match up with my upper body ability.

Because of this I cannot walk at all but I am able to easily transfer from seat to seat and I can get anywhere I need to by crawling or dragging myself across some area. I do not pull this parlor trick out every day but I figure God gave me this ability for a reason and it is my duty to use it. I know many people who would pay a great price to be able to independently get off the ground easily. So it does not bother me to use this gift to get upstairs when there is no elevator or I cannot safely get my wheelchair through an area like a curb or snow.

I've had many people look at me oddly, make fun of me or whatever else but at the end of the day who cares? At the end of the day I was the person who got to go to the party or still made it to class or that job interview even though the elevator was broken.

No matter who you are sometimes in life you don't have all the tools you need to make your dreams come true in a way society deems appropriate. If it is a dream in your heart then make it happen even if you have to go down the path ugly and inefficiently you're still going down the path!

If two people were in a soup eating contest where one contestant used a fork and the other contestant used a spoon conventional wisdom would say that the fork contestant would have no chance but that is not true. The contestant with a fork could win but they would have to work a lot harder and they might end up looking silly and messy because the liquid would fall through the fork. At the end of the competition the fork contestant still gets the trophy if he wins regardless of what he looks like.

I encourage anyone to go after their dreams because I strongly believe God gives us everything we need to accomplish them. Sometimes it might be ugly or inefficient or socially unacceptable resulting in some spilled broth but when you chase what you really want it is nourishing regardless of the utensil you use to get to the end goal.

Thanks for reading!
Chris

Promoting Positivity One Read At A Time!

http://chrisrathje.blogspot.com

[Karl Martin]

Hi Chris,

I really enjoyed reading your article. You sound like you have a great sense of humour and I hope you are successful with your writing.

By the way, I don't eat soup all that often, especially with a fork, but I might just start, you've inspired me! Besides I can afford to lose a good ten pounds or so:-)

Karl

[Daryn Kagan]

Chris-
Just want to say, "thanks!" for your first blog posting and thanks for the mention on your blog.
Please invite others to come join us in this space.
Would love to have your readers here, too.

--Daryn.

[Jessica Chapman]

I am so glad you posted here! I never knew what to call the "work-arounding" that I did in my life. If I came across a speedbump, I'd work around it. Now I can confidently say, "I eat soup with a fork." Jessica

[Erin]

I've never heard the phrase before, but MAN what a great metaphor. Thanks so much for sharing it! I too eat soup with a fork when need be - and I find that it may be more work, but sometimes, it's even more rewarding than doing it the conventional way!

[Debra Stokes]

You're a fantastic writer, Chris. Thank you so much for sharing. You are promoting positivity and Lord knows we need it at this time in our nation's history. Too much gloom and doom for me. I really enjoy visiting this site because it does exactly what (I believe) Daryn intended - provides a forum for some good news for a change. Rock on, Chris. I hope to see more of your writing here.

[Mary McManus]

Dear Chris - I just joined this forum and something drew me to you - - what drew me to you was obviously our Loving Creator. When I first saw your profile it said athlete and writer and I thought ooh that's cool - I'm an athlete and writer too and then I realized that we share something so special in common and I am sitting here with tears streaming down my face. I am a polio and post polio survivor - in answering God's call I took on the challenge to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab and am so blessed to have my daughter and husband along on this journey and the support of our wonderful son. One of the greatest challenges for me has been to overcome the mental as well as the physical challenge of moving so far outside of my comfort zone. Reading this blog post has expressed so eloquently what is in my heart. It is a blessing to connect with you. Here is my blog: http://newworldgreetings.blogspot.com/ and I have also posted here. You are an amazing inspiration to me and I am so grateful to God that I met you today! Thank you and God bless.