I met with a lovely and very interesting photographer today who previously stopped me during a run to let me know he was interested in capturing and sharing my story. What story exactly, I thought to myself as I continued my run after our brief encounter. I was flattered that he'd stopped me, though not particularly conversational at the time, but I didn't think of myself as having anything interesting to share.We finally set up a time to meet and I'll admit I was a little apprehensive going into it. What came out of it however, was quite splendid and profound. The pleasantries out of the way, the photographer started to ask personal and introspective questions. Actually, he started out asking me ago share my story, which superficially isn't very interesting at all.I was born with a birth defect, which was a surprise to all when I was delivered and 6 months later my leg was amputated below the knee. Yatta, yatta, yatta. But that really wasn't the part he was interested in. Our conversation evolved to discussions about how everyone has some obstacle in their life, for some it's physical (whether internal or external) while for others it might be emotional or mental or psychological. I shared my thoughts on how I feel like people pre-judge based on what they see, which was the reason behind wearing pants for the first 2 days I was on Survivor. "She has one leg, therefore she is [fill in the blank- weak, handicapped, disadvantaged, etc] therefore I will feel [sorry for her, pity for her, the need to help her]. While none of those thoughts are inherently negative, I think they distort how you approach the interaction. Therefore instead of pity for me or feeling threatened by someone else, why not just feel compassion towards each person you meet, recognizing that each individual faces their own struggle or suffering every day (some just more obviously than others) and would likely benefit from your kindness. This is the essence of what we hope to capture in our photos. More to come once they're done.