Stuttering for Meaning— Part 1/3
Stuttering scarred me in ways I can’t describe, but over the years, I learned to make fun of it through sincere acceptance. It is kind of funny.
Dedicated to those who found a spark when there was only darkness
It occurred to me that it’s a disservice not to openly discuss my stutter; most (if not all) people assume I don’t have it. It’s to the point where people vehemently deny its existence. A strange sentiment… flattering on one hand, but annoyingly ignorant on the other.
I worked at it. I went through speech therapy, I practiced on my own and through volunteering with random civilians. It wasn’t until I was around 16 that I was comfortable enough to order coffee from Tim Hortons. I admit, I still get butterflies to this day.
Stuttering scarred me in ways I can’t describe, but over the years, I learned to make fun of it through sincere acceptance. Stuttering is kind of funny.
Working from home during the pandemic made me laugh about my stutter more than ever. When I do stutter (rarely these days), people on video conferencing calls think the screen is buffering which is hilarious (our little secret 😋)
It’s an apt metaphor; stuttering is a speech buffering glitch but not my only glitch.
In my early twenties I learned I have dyslexia and ADHD, both comorbidities to stuttering. Finally, I understood. My brain just worked differently, it was pure genius in some ways but frustratingly glitchy in language, emotions, and executive thinking.
It’s the trade off lottery of life, some are tall, some are short.
So how do I accept such trade offs and still be ambitious towards a higher good… albeit comedically?
More next week.
Word count: 249
Emoji count: 1
Twitter: @bhavprajapati
