welcome to Holland

As a speech pathologist we generally deal with patients that have some sort of disorder, often multiple ones. It is the nature of the job and it is a privilege to help these patients. One of the less desirable parts of our job is when we have to diagnose a disorder, especially a serious one. I can tell you right now that once you tell someone their child has lost their language after a stroke they don't care what you say after that. It is such a shock to them that you might as well have said "your child is dying." Some parents can become very upset and part of our job is to transition into a counseling position. We are taught some coping tools to offer the parents as well as resources and support systems to inform them. One of the tools we use is a poem called "Welcome to Holland" allow me to paraphrase if you will....


You plan your whole life to go to Paris. You have seen all the videos ever made that have taken place there. You have your pocket dictionary and have learned the key phrases like "where is the bathroom", "please", "thank you" and "yes I am single!" You saved up all your vacation time and taken out half of your 401K to plan the trip of a lifetime.  You buy the cute luggage that all matches and purchase your ticket. You wait in the ridiculously long line, assure the TSA you aren't a terrorist for the billionth time and that your wrinkle cream is of no threat to anyone but gravity. You finally make your way to your coach seat (c'mon it is a ticket to paris- like you have the money for first class) and after 15 min of fighting you finally convince the flight attendant with tangee lipstick that wreaks of aquanet that your bag really is a carry on.  You sit down.  They give you the shpeil about safety and your seat as a flotation device (let's be real if that baby goes down the only thing floating will be dead bodies) and you are on your way! Hooray you have waited your whole life for this. Planned this trip since you were five and saw Beauty and the Beast for the first time. After a little turbulence and a crappy "chicken" dinner you begin to land! The captain comes on the intercom and says in a voice that is annoyingly cheery considering it is 3 am states time "Welcome to Holland!" WHAT? What the hell (excuse my french)? You didn't buy a ticket for Holland. You bought one for Paris. You are going to sit at a cafe and sip coffee while eating a croissant. You are going to the louvre and the eiffel tower. There is no louvre here, there is no croissant, there is no eiffel tower, there is no gorgeous French man waiting to sweep you off your feet. What does Holland have? Funny hats and wooden shoes that are seriously unattractive. How maddening. This is NOT what you planned, it is not what you wanted. But... if you can get past the fact that you aren't in France you can come to appreciate some of the things that Holland does have. Beautiful landscapes, gorgeous windmills and even some cute blonde men. It might not be what you expected, not what you planned but if you stop for a minute and take a breath you will see that Holland has a lot to offer too!


Ok so I did a little embellishment from the poem but you get the idea. We try to teach the parents that having a child with a disability might not be what they expected but it can still be great, just in a different way.


Well folks, "Welkom in Holland", that is dutch for "welcome to holland!" I realized today that is exactly where I am.


I was talking to stephanie about my apartment hunting with my mom. I was explaining how excited I was about being able to splurge on a really nice apartment since I don't have to think about anyone but me. I don't have to think about a husband or children. I can work in a hospital and make about 3 times what I would in a school system. Since I don't have to worry about kids, why not? Then it just came out before I even realized I said "It's like this whole new life I never knew I would get to have." Wow! how true!


Then I was in the store later and I saw a cute shirt. I thought to myself that would be really cute for a night out on the town. Then like a ton of bricks it hit me " oh my goodness. I am the girl in the cute shirt! I am the good-looking single lady! I am the one who gets to have a night out on the town!"


Again, it was like realizing this whole life I never knew I would get to have. It is not what I wanted and certainly not what I planned but that doesn't mean it has to be bad.  There are all sorts of freedoms that I have now I never thought I would. I can move anywhere, travel where I want, pick the dog I want, the car I want, the house I want...everything. What a wonderfully selfish time I get to have! It is a blessing I didn't ever expect to receive. I am excited. Welcome to Holland Y'all!




"For know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11