Hi everybody...I signed up for this group a
couple of weeks ago, but since I haven't really
participated in anything yet I felt I should introduce
myself.<br><br>As my profile states, my name is Craig, and I'm a
27-year-old male living in Toronto, Ontario. I was born with
a unilateral cleft palate. <br><br>I'm glad to have
found this group. As you all know, it can be difficult
sometimes for us to maintain positive self-images in the
face of a society which seems to evaluate our worth on
the basis of our level of physical perfection -- it's
important to have a community with whom you can share
thoughts and feelings and talk about resources available
to people who can relate to the issues you
face.<br><br>I attended a spiritual retreat last fall through a
group for progressive men (anti-racist, anti-sexist,
anti-homophobic, etc.), and it was a really powerful experience.
Ever since then, I've been trying harder to stay in
touch with my feelings, to actively seek connection
with people and to deal more constructively with all
the self-esteem issues that come from having a
physical difference.<br><br>Long story short, I hope to
learn from all of you and to share my own experience
sometimes; I believe that community really is the one thing
that makes life worth living.