A good friend and supporter commented on yesterday’s post, about why some people are so hung up on fluency and why some may see no redeeming value in stuttering. He said that it appears that “people seem to think that stuttering has (negatively) defined them as it relates to their lives. They fail to see that they can define stuttering (as it relates to their lives)”.

Kudos to Greg for pointing this out and sharing. There is tremendous power in sharing our feelings and experiences with each other.

I really liked Greg’s perspective and gave it some serious thought. I think that’s what I have been doing lately – choosing to define my stuttering and how it exists with me in my life. For it indeed exists with me. I have a relationship with stuttering the same way I have a relationship with my partner.

I do not let stuttering define me. I don’t think stuttering is the first thing people think of when they think of me. I like to think that other words come to mind first, like: creative, driven, focused and organized. I am not sure people would even use stuttering as a way to describe me. I have heard people at school describe me to a student who is looking for me. Usually, I hear, “oh, she’s the one with the reddish hair and glasses”. I have never heard someone say, “she’s the one who stutters”.

I am more than my stuttering. My “whole” is indeed the sum of my parts, and I do have many parts. I have the sensitive, spiritual, reflective side. I have the intense, workaholic, driven side. And I have the creative, artistic, risk-taking side that likes to have fun. I have talents and gifts, and worries and fears. Pretty much like any one else. And I also happen to stutter. That is part of me, the whole person who thinks and feels and breathes just like everyone else.