Whenever someone asks me if I would take a magic pill to eliminate my stutter, my response is 90 percent no. The reasons are:
I wouldn’t have some of my life experiences.
I wouldn’t be part of a great and inspiring community.
I wouldn’t be as empathetic and compassionate.
I would be missing out on some great life lessons.
I wouldn’t have discovered writing as a means of expressing myself.
I wouldn’t be as good of a listener as I am.
I wouldn’t be me.
Getty image by Splendens.
James Hayden was born, raised, and currently lives in the New Orleans area. He is a New Orleans Saints fan, a Survivor superfan, a writer, and a person who stutters. James is the author of "Dear World, I Stutter: A Series of Open Letters from a Person Who Stutters." His work has been published by The Mighty, The Stuttering Foundation, Stamma, Yahoo, and MSN. James has also appeared on several podcasts, presented at numerous universites and conferences, and was a speaker at TEDxOchsner 2019. He also serves as the chapter leader for the New Orleans chapter for the National Stuttering Association.
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