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From: David Shapiro
Date: 05 Oct 2007
Time: 06:02:16 -0500
Remote Name: 70.109.18.181
Hi Chad, Stuttering indeed has been a big challenge. We know that challenges provide rich opportunities that enable us to grow. Isn’t it interesting how the dots only seem to connect in hindsight? Indeed when I was younger, stuttering was a basis on which I defined myself. Things are different now and I am making different choices. I don’t know that stuttering presented my biggest challenge. Rather, I think that how we handle each challenge prepares us for later challenges. And I don’t think any one challenge occurs in a vacuum; there is a ripple effect and life can come at you fast. Nevertheless, I do believe that Life is Good. I think that challenges, particularly the challenge of facing off stuttering and achieving fluency and communication freedom, present an opportunity to realize that, throughout life, we have choices. Even when we may not be pleased with the choices we have made, every moment provides an opportunity to make new choices. I am glad that you are pursuing Communication Disorders for a career. As a second year graduate student, you must have made some good choices. That success doesn’t just happen. Hang in there. You have chosen an excellent career path. We need excellent clinicians and certainly we need more good men to enter the ranks. Feel free to contact me outside of the conference if you wish. Good luck to you. David Shapiro