Karla's Chronicles

(An open letter to my life) Dear Life: You test me. You test me so much sometimes and in my own daily living that if someone were to ask me what I'd do without all of your challenges, I'd be in a state of stupor. I understand that challenges are a part of living, but don't you think you could lighten the load a little bit? You're causing me to increase my prayers. I pray nightly, but lately, I've been praying two to three times a day. You're making the challenges flow my my tired eyes in the form of free-flowing tears, which in turn make me feel like a zombie the next morning. You have given me a life in which I must live in a wheelchair, where everything aches so much so that it is difficult now as I age to even sit on the floor. I'm exhausted. I feel as though everyday is a marathon. You wear me down. You wind my patience over and over again and it really makes me wonder when thin is too thin. But you know what, life? Throughout the trials and tribulations...

Dear Drew Brees, Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Karla Culbertson. I am 28 years old and from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I live a pretty normal & comfortable life. However, there is one part of my life that separates me from the rest. I am wheelchair dependent due to Cerebral Palsy and premature birth. Even though I face my own set of daily challenges, I don't let my disability bring me down. I am an aspiring inspirational writer, and I am set to have my first book self-published and released on December 11. Enough about me, though, I am writing to celebrate you. Your athleticism, your spirit, and your impact on my life. I guess firstly, though, I should let you know that you are considered one of my heroes in life. I admire you so deeply, your compassion for the game that you play, your free spirit, and the fact that you're such an emotional leader. Much like you, I know that character in the face of adversity can really help overcome challenges. When I read "Co...

Today is Sunday, June 1, 2014. I am turning 30 in 29 days. I turn 30 on June 30. Therefore, it is my golden birthday. I have heard so many people my age say they freak out about turning 30 without being married or having children. I do not wish to have children, as I am almost confident it would be too much of a strain on my body. My body is rather lethargic thanks to my Cerebral Palsy anyway ordinarily, so I really cannot see myself having children. I am single and independent and have been for 7 years now. My feelings about marriage are rather neutral, as finding a man would be a good thing, but I also am the type that refuses to settle. I want the best man for me, and if God forbid, there is not one out there for me, that's OK, too. I am choosing not to freak out about turning 30 without the atypical and aforementioned portions of my life. I am turning 30. I have been alive for nearly three decades. That is a wonderful and monumental feeling. There was a time in my life where I ...

I am an avid internet user. I use it to connect with all types of different people from all walks of life. I would be lost without it, and I simply cannot fathom living in this age internetless. It is, in truth, my social lifeline. While I am eternally grateful for it, at the same time, I also find myself disgusted by some of the things I see. For one, I cannot believe some of the comments I see made about our own president. I can tolerate not agreeing with some of his policies, but must we really wish death on someone we don't even know and the people who voted for him? I voted for him, but that does not mean that I agree with everything he proposes. Does that mean we should wish ill or even death on him? I don't think so, and I find this aspect of society rather displeasing. Also.... a topic near and dear to my heart. Gay marriage and acceptance. This is a huge turn of events in today's world. We have come a long way with gay acceptance; however, having said this, we s...

I remember the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 like they happened yesterday. I remember being a young naive little 12 year old glued to the TV as the women's USA gymnastics team went on to become the first team in history to win a gold medal in gymnastics. I remember the feeling I felt when watching these women (who at the time were teenagers), flip through the air so seamlessly. I was AMAZED and since then, I have never looked back and have never once denied my profound love for the sport. In the months following the Olympic games, I 'pretended' to be a gymnast like the magnificent seven. I would do a head roll from my sister's bed using the my trundle bed down below hers as support and 'flip off' the bed landing on my butt of course because I couldn't stand. I also pretended to do leaps and jumps on my sister's bed like it was the beam. In short, I was totally and completely head over heels. Soon, there was a collection of magnificent seven books, Dominique M...

I was already a member of a blogging website, and I didn't even know it. Funny how things like that occur to you after such a long time period has gone by. I haven't posted on here in five years and wow, how things have changed! Needless to say, I never found it necessary to go back to school. I found my own inspiration in my existing writing skills, and I am now proud to call myself an independent writer. I independently write for the company Blurb books who has recently joined hands with Amazon.com, which will give me more leverage in terms of book sales with my up and coming projects. I have mustered up the confidence to independently publish two poetry books, though. They haven't done as well as I'd hoped, but that doesn't deter me from my goal, which is to keep 'rolling with the punches' as far as my future projects are concerned. http://www.blurb.com/user/store/SunlitShores You can find my latest books in my virtual bookstore,which I have just posted ...