B-Sides of Linda Bustos

Welcome to the B-Sides of Linda Bustos, links and random stuff that just doesn’t seem to fit anywhere else.

Actually, I registered this domain on the advice of Pete Quily, Vancouver’s own adult ADHD coach. He suggested I grab the domain now before someone hijacks it to sell discount Cialis or something (okay, those were not his actual words).

Thanks to Tris Hussey and Flickr, I have photographic proof that this conversation actually happened.

I know I’m not the only Linda Bustos out there, there are at least 2 others - like a Colombian bikini model and a rocket scientist. Wow, that makes me sound a lot less cooler now in comparison, but the geek with the most blog posts and social media profile owns the SERPs (search engine results pages for you non-geeks). So until they step up and register LindaBustos.net, LindaBustos.info and LindaBustos.edu I can say “I’m Linda Bustos, yes I’m the real Bustos all the other Linda Bustos are just impoostos, so won’t the real Linda Bustos please stand up? Uh, wait, she kinda can’t…

About me? Well for starters, I’m in a wheelchair and I blog. I don’t blog about being in a wheelchair, I blog about ecommerce marketing for an ecommerce software company More on that later.

I injured my calf muscles in both legs in 2000 at a drop-in kickboxing class, and the injury never worked itself out. It’s kinda a long story, maybe one day I will elaborate on that. But I will never EVER give up trying to get better. I might blog a little about that if I make advances in that direction over the coming months…

Alright, back to ecommerce. I’ve officially been an employee of Elastic Path Software for a full year now, and I’ve had a blast running the Get Elastic blog. We’ve grown from a few hundred subscribers to over 5,000 in the last 12 months, and I’d like to see us more than double by next year.

I’ve also had the opportunity as the Get Elastic girl to meet other bloggers and blog readers at various conferences like Shop.org and Blogworld Expo in Vegas, Search Engine Strategies in San Jose and Internet Retailer in Chicago. And even spent a fabulous week in Banff, Alberta talkin’ social media stuff with some great Canadian women in television, film and radio.

I’m often asked what I do besides blog. When I’m not living the jet-set life or blogging, I’m working on my rehab exercises and listening to uplifting Internet radio like Back To Basics with Brian Brodersen and Garid Beeler’s Calvary Chapel podcasts. I’m a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ and I really enjoy learning about the Bible and trekkin’ on with the faith. These resources have blessed me tremendously.

Christ is my life, so it would be strange for me not to mention this on my personal website. So caution, the rest of this article will talk about my faith - you’ve been warned

I know many people think “poor wheelchair girl, well it’s nice she has that little crutch to help her feel better and make it through life.” Actually, what happened was one day I realized I was a sinner who didn’t have a guarantee of an old age deathbed repentance that I was planning on… As a child always believing the Bible was true but I wanted to live my own way. It was an inner struggle that took me to some dark places. It got darker after my injury, yes that’s true.

I was very frustrated that I was no longer in control of my body or independent. As a college student, I watched all my peers live it up while I was confined to a couch writhing in pain every night, all summer, New Year’s after New Year’s, birthday after birthday… I was angry that I couldn’t go out and realize the plans I had set out for myself or enjoy the simple things of life. I was pretty choked at God for letting me suffer like that.

That went on for a few years. I hated going to church, too. I’d go with my mom, deep inside I thought if I went to church somehow I would appease God to do something I wanted. I saw all these annoying happy Christians that I *thought* were problem free, and that’s why they were happy happy smiley while I had a big storm cloud over my head. I expected God to be good to those goodie 2 shoes and bad to me, because I understood that inside I was not a squeaky clean person. Actually, I felt my physical condition was justice of some sorts.

One day our Pastor gave a sermon using an analogy that we are all born with our fists clenched against God, and if you are frustrated with God - you can tell Him, He can take it. But you can also tell Him you’re willing to “try to try” to let go. So basically, you don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be willing to explore not being angry with God. For me that was huge, because I was pretty frustrated. So I went home and I basically made a decision that I was gonna stop the rebellion. Even if it meant I never got better in my legs, God was still good.

Man, when I stopped fighting God in my heart, that was a big change in my life. Because I had always believed Christ died for sin, and that we needed Salvation because we had sinned against God, I basically submitted to that Truth (that ol’ repent and put your trust in Jesus thing). For me that was breaking away from my old life (yeah including things that were fun and glamorous at the time but not really good for me), and living for self and accepting Christ’s reign in my heart and life. I’m not a perfect person at all. But I realize that I have nothing to offer God, no self-goodness and everything I have is shared with me by Christ.

The last 6 years since have been the deepest, richest of my life and I only wish I had surrendered sooner. Anyway, that’s my story.

I’ve never been anyone else, like someone who grew up with a different faith or struggles with God’s existence or what God really is (athiest, agnostic etc). All I can say is I’ve always believed the gospel since I was a child - it’s just something that I’ve always accepted. I don’t think people are lesser if they don’t believe what I do. It’s a matter of the heart, you either hear the gospel and you believe, don’t believe or believe but have questions or struggles with it. I respect others’ beliefs while believing fully that Christ is the truth. I respect others’ right to believe something different, I have friends of all faiths, I don’t try to convert anyone but I am open about the amazing spiritual life, peace and rest with God I’ve found.

I know that believing in Creation and God, Jesus Christ and the Bible in its literal sense is not the cool thing to be - you’re looked at as a total fool. But this is me and I’m not ashamed of it at all

Thanks for reading,

~Linda