My favorite Compliment
It's sweaty summer again, and I live in the oven they call Florida, so jeans have been pretty much banned since at least April. Kiki, my prosthetic, is getting lots of stage time while I live in shorts, and that means more stares. But what it also means is more compliments. Years ago, my favorite compliments from strangers were always the ones that came from other women saying they liked something I was wearing, like a new pair of boots or a handbag (newsflash, men, we don't dress for you), but now it's the compliments on my "cool sparkly leg" that make my day. There is nothing subtle about a prosthetic leg; mine is made even less subtle by the gold glitter socket and matching gold cover I wear with it. I'm aware that means more stares. It's worth the occasional awkward eye contact because I may not have had control over the loss of my leg, but I got to choose what my fake one looks like. And why not sparkle? Why not make gold glitter out of crap?
Sometimes, I can see it in people's eyes. They want to say something but don't know if it's appropriate. It's funny how some people are afraid to pay me a compliment while others think it's cool to walk up and ask how I lost my leg. I can't begin to tell you how different the energy of each of those approaches is. If only we'd all stop and think about whether what we were about to say had any kindness in it. Children, who tend to have no filter and an understandably innocent curiosity, ask me what happened less often than you would think. They tend to be so fascinated by my "robot leg" that they want to see how it works and whisper, "so cool." to their parents. It's the best. I love seeing the awe in their faces as they look at all the different parts of it up close, which most days I welcome. Every kid I teach a little about prosthetics is one less ignorant adult ruining an amputee's day!
I still very much welcome outfit compliments, particularly as fall approaches and I prepare for my best fashion season; a sparkly gold socket and matching prosthetic cover are really just over-the-top accessories, right?
