Broken Lives Matter

Just a quick check-in, Lovelies! I had a wonderful Christmas, and truly hope all of you did too. Travel was a bit of a bear, of course, but you know how THAT goes:( At least I got a full refund on my train ticket when a cancelled the ride home in favor of a ride! Every time I complete a car trip I feel like the older great-aunt Bethany in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"--"Oh that was fun; I love riding in cars!" And now I have a wonderful weekend to just calm down and recover. Aren't you delighted? I know I am. But wasn't it amazingly warm and beautiful all week?! Almost nobody was wearing a coat. People were out raking leaves! And everyone was SO happy and relieved not to be dealing with ice and snow for a change. Freakin' Midwest. The weather can really make it difficult to live here:( But then out of nowhere, we're given the gift of a Hawaiian Christmas! Mele-kalikimaka, dear readers:) From the looks of the forecast we're in

Wow! So it's been a week since I posted! I guess sometimes my Facebook posts feel like I've shared enough of myself, leaving very little room for blog sharing:( So what can I say? Christmas is here! Well just about. I'm bound for home in a couple of days--just two! I still haven't packed! But I've been writing a list of things I don't want to forget to bring, for a week or two now. As of this moment I'm looking forward to the morning; it's mine and my fiance's "Christmas" from the year we were together. He loved the solstice, and I was too in love with him to mind that it wasn't "THE DAY." I think that's what love is all about; changing your routine and the other person changing theirs so the two halves can fit together:) Anyway, the best part of it for me, at the time, was that it was like I was a kid at Christmas again, all wide-eyed and excited:) I had that wonderful, exceedingly rare feeling like ANYTHING could hap

Hello Lovelies! Just wanted to share an insight I've had into myself. I continually surprise myself with my clarity of thought. And not because things even SOUND all that good in my head. Or even coherent! Indeed, quite often the thoughts in my head are the opposite of coherent, which i would say is "adherent," but to use that word in reference to thoughts seems a bit more insane than I WANT to sound at the moment:) Here me out: sometimes I write my thoughts down--advice I've given, insights I've had into a situation, and they SOUND completely fragmented and disjointed in my head. I feel like I'm just babbling ideas into the air. Then, when I go back and look at them with fresh eyes and a little objectivity, they're magically crystalline and clear. Sometimes even poetic. And it WASN'T intentional! What do you suppose that means? I think we can rule out the possibility I should become a speaker or a member of the press. But what OTHER direction shoul

Good Morning!! We've had steady snow all morning--it was even pretty heavy there for a while; but of course in this urban jungle, very little is sticking. It's still very pretty though, and I appreciate the non-threat to my bald walker tires! Which brings me to what I'm doing later! I finally got myself together enough to schedule a time and a ride to the medical supply place that supplies walkers to eligible patients, of which I am one! This is over a month past when I became eligible, granted, but I figured the longer I waited, the more legitimate my need would seem to the suppliers:) Chalk it up to my overthinking every single thing. And the timing could NOT be better. With this snow and possible ice, I'll need a heavier "vehicle" to navigate the sidewalks. Several of my friends have called it my chariot, which I suppose it is:) I walk behind it, LIKE a chariot. And Lord knows I'm too young for a legitimate "walker" like your grandmother h

Hello Lovelies! Forgive my long, long absence. The holidays have descended on my life in full force! Also seasonal depression, which I found out recently is almost unique to the Midwest. Way out west (Alaska), the prolonged darkness just makes a person a little stir crazy, and out East they're very used to a daily, snowy, icy struggle. The European countries plunged in darkness are an entirely different story; the Danish are some of the happiest people in the world, for mastering the art of hygge (hoogah) living; coziness among the discomfort:) But I digress! Let me expound on the image I included in this entry. It is my very LEAST favorite patch of sidewalk downtown. Doesn't it look like the crags were DESIGNED to be there? Like whoever made the street said "let's give 'em another challenge". They put the least even, most insultingly broken piece of sidewalk right where pedestrians are BOUND to go. And at the moment it's even right before an art stu

SO silly proud of my local physical therapy/physical recuperation center, Mary Free Bed! Just look how inclusive they are:)

Good Morning, Lovelies! I found this wonderful article I thought I'd share with you. There is SO MUCH stigma around mental disabilities--most of it stemming from misunderstanding, even in today's more "enlightened and tolerant" world. My hope is that eventually, someday, two things will happen that have the potential to change EVERYTHING. First, just on a personal level, I would like to see the world realize "physical disability" does NOT mean "mentally handicapped." I mean come on guys, yes the body and brain work in concert much of the time, but there are exceptions. Just because we have limitations or are not as strong in body as the next guy does NOT mean there's "nothing going on upstairs." We could in many ways be smarter than YOU! Remember that, for my sake. The next thing I hope society will one day get over is the idea that having a mental disability is in and of itself a bad thing, and something to hide or be ashamed of.

This is the most perfect thing ever:) And since he couldn't let go of the other guys to hold her, I'm sure this wonderful moment also made her appreciate even more what she DID have to give her--a warm embrace.

This is not one of my posting days, but kinda close to it! Can you believe this?! So happy for him:)

As I start a very exciting weekend of beautiful weather and cleaning house (yay), I share THIS very awesome meme. What a great perspective for all of us. It's not you, it's THEM:

This is how life should be; people of all abilities. Let's just dance together.

Morning, Lovelies! It's obscenely early, and I don't really have a long time to write, but it's been kind of a long time since I DID write, so I felt obliged:) I'm up this early because I am soon to take the train to Chicago for a short, sweet, marvelous weekend with friends and family. Just now I was terribly surprised when I called for a cab and said "I'm going to the train station" not to get the standard follow-up question of "where's that?" So often public transit is like another language to those with a car. The train station might as well be on the moon, for all most people know of where it is and how to cope without their own personal vehicle. Maybe that makes me and the like-minded unique. We've seen what life is like when it's up to you; there's no computer in your hand connecting you to someone's comfy car to whisk you anywhere you want to go, as with an Uber or a Lyft. You have to figure things out for yourse

https://themighty.com/2017/04/my-disability-is-part-of-who-i-am/?utm_source=Disability_Page&utm_medium=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR14HZU_JGHb868hZHQuIquVvSeforIyovmIBT_1h1lICM46Yk3TDmI9nok This popped up in my Facebook feed, as I am a loyal follower of several disability sites. And it spoke to me on a very deep level about something I'm really just starting to realize. As the author Lisa, says in her article, it's taken me a while to come to terms with exactly what bothered me when people say "I don't see your disability." Now I realize it bothers me because to not see my disability is to to not see ME as I am. I mean, of course I don't want you to look down on me because I use a mobility aid. But that's just it--a mobility aid is not something to be looked down on! And therein lies the fundamental problem. In this American society, walkers and wheelchairs are for the elderly and infirm, who for various reasons don't fit the ideal image of what m

Oh what a difference a few days make! I'm not locked in anymore:) I can get to church through my usual route, and not to mention all the other places along the road that used to be blocked! I visited restaurants along that street often, and the Contemporary Art museum is like a second home:) I took the long, round-about way to church today, but found out on my way home that I'm no longer boxed into a corner! So that was lovely. I feel like it's been 100 years since I stretched my legs. One thing did occur to me as Ableist while I was out walking. The supposedly "accessible" crossing signals that tell pedestrians when to cross assume WAY too much for the downtown area. They don't say "You are on--and it is safe to cross", they say "WAIT...WAIT" and "Walk, sign says walk," withe the street names preceding them. But think about it. If you were blind (or even if you just couldn't read the street signs from across the street

This keeps showing up in my Facebook feed:)

Well, Lovelies...I'm at a loss! The construction situation downtown just keeps getting worse. I've ordered food delivery many times to avoid having to take a round-about way to the bus stop and cause my knees further discomfort. And it's better to leave as early as possible for church on Sunday, 'cause the only way to get THERE is all the way down the hill, then up and across a farther street:( And with the weather like it's been, I sweat profusely after just a few moments, though I'd have sworn I was in pretty decent shape. C'est la vie I guess. What an annoyance! I cannot wait for the day when it's cool enough to wear jeans AND a scarf around your neck, and walking my normal route to where ever I please isn't exhausting. In cooler weather I can do a mile without hardly even thinking about it. As it is, I feel every step and every divot in the broken roads they're NOT fixing.

So much construction! Over night this weekend, barrier fences sprouted around my little corner of downtown, making me feel even MORE closed-in than limited mobility. I can only imagine, looking back on it, that this is how my paraplegic fiance must have felt almost every day of his life. Save for those brief years before, and a few days years after the cancer and his subsequent injury, I know he had to have felt locked in:( With the walls closing in around ME, I try to remember that they are temporary. As with every other section of the street I have SEEN them repair and leave behind in the weeks and months prior, I know intellectually I'm not a caged animal. It just feels a little like it. Thank goodness for the motorcycles' roaring engines, and the distant train whistle, reminding me that there's plenty of the world still carrying on as usual beyond my street! And lately I've seen a number of my building-mates close to home, reminding me that they too can leave

Very Late Evening, Lovelies! Unfortunately the sun pouring through the windows today has worn me out almost as much as walking around the tiny little rural town of Douglas, MI, with a good friend, so this post won't be extremely long:( Just wanted to mention that the buildings in larger cities have given me such a good feeling about the progress the ADA standards have made! Poor little Douglas has some cute, quaint shops and plenty of equally impressive restaurants with very friendly people. But absolutely nothing is very well conceived for accessibility. And it's a shame because the town is so charming! Not to mention beautiful, with rolling fields and vineyards, and "U-Pick" orchards for raspberries and other fruits--you don't stop loving those things if you've suddenly become disabled. And if you've ALWAYS been disabled, imagine if you never knew the pure joy of eating a berry you just picked from the bush? Most of those orchards had accompanying

For a few years now, I've grown more and more disappointed with myself. Dissatisfied with my life. Unhappy. What is that? What reason have I to feel that way? Well anybody can feel sorry for himself; it's the human condition, I'm afraid. But the thing I realize is that with all the comparing I do of my life to other people's, I should realize more vividly how much I have to be THANKFUL for, not how much I don't have. I mean, maybe that sounds trite, or whatever, but honestly, I've been extremely lucky/fortunate/blessed since I finally got out of my youth. Others might pine for their "lost youth"--to me it wasn't a loss, so much as a release. I haven't suffered the symptoms of a Hydrocephalic (praise God) since my mid-late 20s. I've had some inconvenience centering around using a walker for balance because of my Cerebral Palsy, but in the grand scheme of my life, I've barely even registered any of those "inconveniences" as

Happy Monday, Lovelies! I know that's a contradiction in terms; Mondays are not, by their nature, generally very happy at all. But this one has brought a lot of long-awaited rain with it, which makes ME extremely happy. I just wanted to mention that yesterday I noticed that in addition to all the obtrusive, invasive, noisy, bus-diverting-everywhere road construction being done, there are ALSO repairs being made that effect pedestrians:) Returning from church, I noticed that a very cracked, uneven section of the sidewalk had been filled in. It's like an ugly scar--doesn't look fabulous. But it's a sign of improvements actually being made, and that's exciting! This was particularly good to see in my case, since I'd encountered a lot of inaccessible features at a restaurant Saturday. And then during a subsequent shopping trip, there was the problem of aisles narrowed by merchandise "clutter", of course, as happens frequently. I'm very adept by

The following article inspired me. I frequent the Amtrak so often all the conductors and some of the attendant's know me. I've seen how able-bodied traveler's comfort and enjoyment are a priority among the staff, and that needs to extend to people of all abilities. Some changes have been made to the infrastructure that in many cases predates an age when people with mobility concerns went anywhere. They have provided folded metal ramps that the disabled then have to inform the conductor they need set out for them. And there are questions while booking train travel that allow you to specify when and where you need assistance (i.e. on the train, just at the station, that kind of thing)...but such accommodations are NOT being made to airline travel Service animals of all kinds are permitted, oddly. But if I trust my walker to flight attendants I must first endure their disapproval (they let me know through eye rolls that it's an inconvenience), and then I can only say a pr

I can understand Illinois' motivation for trying to save money. But what else could this be but blatant discrimination? Laying off disabled workers AHEAD of the increase? Something is very wrong here: https://www.wcia.com/news/local-news/goodwill-pulls-paychecks-from-disabled-workers/?fbclid=IwAR0g3fiwnLB9tVAPEhdUqmp7y2E9YAxM6_P0-3GKFLQloLxoeTu_vXGAEII

Good Evening, Lovelies! I'm fresh from volunteering (hanging out is more like it; the kids with ASD just seem like kids to me), listening to music, enjoying the blessedly cool breezes, breathing easily for two seconds on a very hectic day! It seriously feels to me like I've been running after people all day long. Some of that I put on myself, grant you, by forcing myself up and into the shower and out the door in about half the time it usually takes--'cause I overslept. But then on the way to my first thing, the heel of my shoe sheered clean off:) As if it had just said "to hell with this, I'm done!" As I was going uphill, no less:( So needless to say, I staggered back home and by then, I had already missed most of the event anyway. It was only two hours long. So I counted my losses and stayed in to catch my breath--momentarily. I was almost late to volunteer at an art gallery too! Though miraculously the coordinator (who I know from church) and I kept

Ladies and Gentlemen, Is it odd that I "hermit" in the blazing hot summer?! Afraid to leave my relatively cool apartment. Content to order in and play nature sounds of wind or rain, and let a prescription written weeks ago lapse into oblivion...it doesn't concern me:) Happy to stay in and pay bills online. Well, not HAPPY, but certainly more willing to do that than to risk passing out in this heat!! That's the reason I'm putting off picking up my prescription! It's at a pharmacy that I know keeps its internal temperature WELL below the outside, so as you cross the threshold the fluctuation makes you light-headed. Better not to risk it. And I have a busy couple of days coming up, so I need to conserve energy. And it simply has to rain soon!! Aside from the heat, and the dormant humidity sitting on your skin making the air heavy and the allergens feisty, the pressure differences are ALSO messing with my head, just as badly as anything else:( And I'm not

Another hot, sunny, allergen-rich day:( Remembering my dear Michael today is the only thing that's been more important. It was this day, seven years ago at exactly 2:10 in the afternoon, I lost him. But it has been a remarkable catalyst for everything that's followed! The people I've met, places I've gone, things I've done...they've all blown my own mind. And I really don't think very much of it would have happened without that horrible tragedy. My life began when I met him. It CHANGED completely and utterly when he died. Looking back on it though, that was in many ways when everything started that would define me as the person I am now. Things were totally different with Michael. They were wonderful, but they were completely 100 percent different. And if he had lived, I would also be entirely different. Many times I've flattered myself that I knew my destiny. I thought Michael was it. But BOY was that misconception shattered when Michael died. And so

Hello Lovelies! Just checking in; literally nothing is new; I've been "sheltering in place" at my home since Wednesday. It's too hot, and the allergens fly too freely! I'm afraid I'd pass out from either the heat or suffocation if I ventured out:) But I don't mind. I have marvelous AC. I thank God every day for a safe, comfortable place to hide from this dreadful heat! And I don't think it's about to relent any time soon. I also thank God for allergy pills, 'cause I and so many others I know are constantly bothered by pollen and mold and EVERYTHING else "evil" flying through the air. I know a few people in California, and I just cannot imagine how they handle months and months of weather like this:( Although with them at least, I think it's mostly a dry heat. Meanwhile, putting ice in my coffee and pretending not to notice how long I run the air conditioning, for I know it will translate to "fun with bills" next mo

Evening Lovelies! I was just exulting in the simple things that come when allergens (which have gotten extremely high of late) keep you for venturing out. Last night I heard the song "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash on ye olde traditional plug-in radio, which I still have by my bed because I am old-fashioned as can be an unashamed:) But how long has it been since anyone heard "Ring of Fire" on the radio in the Midwest?! It has to be at least 50 years. And even then it was probably either played ironically, to say "isn't this cute? This is what the old folks listened to" or it was an old folks radio station:) And this evening I almost wasn't going to MAKE a proper dinner. My church friends fed me well this afternoon; I even had a Klondike bar for dessert BEFORE Sunday brunch, much to my delight. But I'm so pleased I was able to throw together a very simple, very saucy Asian noodle salad so I won't go to bed kind of wishing I'd had a bi

Well, the rain has finally cleared up! Just for the moment:( I think tonight is going to be more of the same "tears from Heaven" all night long:( Possibly. In Michigan, you never know. The forecast could be on point, or they could be completely wrong! So I've made plans to make tonight a "stay in" kind of night and order from somewhere for dinner. I hate to do that when the weather is bad, but of course sometimes it just can't be avoided. And as a friend of mine so wisely observed when I shared with him a similar story..."you've gotta eat." Indeed. We do what we have to. At least it dried off enough that the guys who play on the tiny basketball court below have resumed their game:) And music is roaring from somewhere--probably a festival of some kind. There are MANY this month covering just about everything. Pride, (LGBTQ community awareness), graduations, Father's Day...there's even a lot of little local shindigs happening on the ar

I've gotten lost down a video watching worm hole! Before I climb back out and go to bed, let me share this sweet discovery that makes me SOOO happy, on a night when it's been pouring rain since at least 11:00. If it doesn't show the video for you, select the link, then copy and paste it into your browser...enjoy! https://www.facebook.com/BBCEurovision/videos/2209578292489804/

Good Evening Lovelies! This week has been so busy that as the title suggests, I completely lost track of days. As such, writing on the appointed day COMPLETELY slipped my mind:) But at least I remembered before the week was over. Kind of like paying my bills, which seldom happens PRECISELY on the day they're due, but I always manage to pay in a panic during the allotted grace period! In fact, so began my afternoon. I walked through the blazing sun to the library and made myself return a DVD that was slightly overdue. I thought at the very least I'd have to pay a SMALL fine. Nope! I made it just under the wire, apparently, and avoided any such thing as a fine:) Thank goodness. Luckily while I was there, I remembered a few extra things I needed to handle that were within the library's "sphere of control"--if you like--so I handled those! I got novels to carry me through at least June, hopefully longer. I want to be deeply involved in one of them by the time I ge

Hello Lovelies! Today is horrible and rainy/cloudy, which suits my mood:( I've been think a lot about mental disability today (and every day, since May is Brain Tumor Awareness month). And I've always assumed I didn't qualify as "mentally disabled". But here's the thing--we're ALL dealing with things that sometimes make us FEEL disabled. In my quest to find something I'm good at, I've failed at so many things, so many times, that I've all but told myself to forget it. The list of things I've tried and failed at is discouragingly long, and it has occurred to me that mental disability doesn't HAVE to be the label we ascribe to ourselves. It is possible that certain things are just not for us. For example, I would be pretty useless at a job with an deviating schedule, even if I was the one who chose the hours! I'm not sure I'd be able to "maintain" at a position that was constantly in flux. But I still don't think

This came across my feed, and it was too lovely! I have something else to add, but I'll do so in another entry today. I think it's important that THIS one stands alone.

Exactly what so many people don't understand!! A disability isn't always a physical or mental abnormality! Sometimes it's MUCH more than meets the eye:

Hello and Good Morning, Lovelies! A sunny and glorious day has developed, after some SERIOUS drenching earlier, that we desperately needed:) And I'm very delighted to watch it all from behind my elevated windows:) Not that the conditions aren't ideal--they're not. Ideal would be if it didn't look so horribly windy out there! I'm all about getting fresh air and exercise, but with the promise of constant winds batting my walker around and challenging my every step forward--I'd just as soon stay in and avoid the hassle for a while. I'll be out again tonight anyway, volunteering. The big news I just heard is that Google Maps is making some changes for the Disabled in a few large cities! They're making it possible in cities like Boston, Massachusetts and Sydney, Australia, for the disabled community (or otherwise wheelchair bound) to choose "accessible" when filtering their directions! So finally, instead of just saying I want "walking d

It's a beautiful rainy day, Lovelies! Scattered downpours and this and that, but otherwise coolness and rain and a little bit of a breeze, which is much appreciated. I've discovered over my nearly four years here that heat only rises in my home when it's warmer outside, which makes no scientific sense but...here we are. And there it is. The one thing I can always be sure of is that if there is the slightest breeze to be had, my windows will suck it inside! Just reflecting today on the importance of a group of friends--or several DIFFERENT groups of friends. I'm so amazed and grateful that at this stage in my life, I have groups of friends ALL over the country. I know that's not unusual among those for whom travel is a bit easier, but as someone with mobility concerns (I wouldn't call them 'issues' or 'limitations'), I'm humbly impressed with myself for amassing such an accomplishment! And I know, thanks to the miracle of Facebook and the

I found this simultaneously heartening (it's happening) and disheartening (not in my country). And I'm fairly sure that with accessibility AND nature not a top priority in the U.S at the moment, it'll be a while before we follow in Canada's footsteps. Not to mention other factors that involve the political climate:( But we mustn't despair. The fact that it's happening at all, anywhere in the world, means that one day the natural world will be accessible to all people--everywhere. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/accessible-bus-banff-lake-louise-1.5139619?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar&fbclid=IwAR1RfgxzM5rk1liDlq92K43VwVfg69BeAS-NI588BkIpZWdwfb2Opy5pd4I

Happy Thursday, Lovelies! Took a little break from the regime on Sunday...not much to report. But here we are back on schedule, and the sun is trying to shine:) It's trying. We had a little rain this morning, like we do...but nothing remarkable. I always think of the effect rain will have on the "complicated" workings of my walker, which is old and clunky enough that I COULD swap it out for the one I've got in reserve...but I'm used to the one I have. So used to it I'm willing to put up with its growing number of idiosyncrasies. The damp air might wreak havoc on the metal parts, letting things slowly rust until I can't fold the darn thing up to save my LIFE. It may make a clunking noise as I push it, a far cry from the steady whoosh the tires used to make when they weren't bald--four years and many hundreds of miles ago. And that idiotic bell I've put on it to get people's attention when I need to pass through them--that may ring just t

Hello Lovelies:) The rain. The April/May Showers. They do not seem to be ending. At least not for any appreciable length of time, any time soon:( Seems like they started Monday and just rolled on and on. Which is probably what happened, although don't ask me; I've been forced to "maintain" pretty much exclusively indoors this week. Though yesterday afternoon-evening I did briefly force myself out of exile to get a few groceries and see a movie ("The Russian Five", about hockey; I'm a die-hard fan). This morning I woke up and everything was as wet and gray as it's always been! I have some groceries I want to order for delivery, but I'm holding off until my "Government stipend" as I refer to it euphemistically--arrives tomorrow. That will make my bank account just a tiny bit healthier, which will make me just a tiny bit happier, though honestly not by much:( One little financial issue popped up yesterday; unfortunately without my kno

I've always preferred "challenged", or "some one who has challenges", or some variation on that theme. I agree with this article; sometimes it IS what it looks like, and no one should be ashamed to let THAT "flag fly":)

Glorious Day, Lovelies! Since before Easter, we haven't had a single moment of unpleasant weather, I don't think. Maybe one or two days of cold-ish. So here's an update on the Library Commission Board position: It did not work out:( First of all, I underestimated the leg work that would be required. Given the few weeks I was allowed before the signatures were due, I tried to get out there and "campaign" every day, which worked for the first four days. After THAT, I was a wreck. My feet felt like they were going to fall off:( After that, it was never the same. I couldn't feel "rested," the pressure points on my feet (despite deep calluses) were throbbing, and even my KNEES had begun to protest the new routine. Not to mention how difficult it was to get anyone to sign anything at all:( Their rudeness felt like a personal assault after a while; like people felt particularly justified in being unkind to me because it WAS me; a girl with a walker.

We're being surveilled?! We can't smile/look active/show emotion? This article expertly articulates the folly in this bill's reasoning, explaining while it is fundamentally impossible. I KNEW we would be "next" somewhere down his totem of expendables. https://www.forbes.com/sites/imanibarbarin/2019/04/11/how-a-trump-proposal-could-reduce-happy-disabled-people/?fbclid=IwAR114LZu-qUGiw0QfFiSicA5FiUKmcwCs0eXmfo4n3sMibzw0msmKnlvLTU#cfa34ee636cd

Hey!! It's been such a long couple of days. Actually weeks. Since I started seeking signatures JUST to get on the ballot for the library commission position, and JUST have a chance at election to the position, I've been going out almost every single day, hitting two locations (I move when it becomes closer to a meal time, so I'm closer to where people congregate)...I've been run off my feet! And today it became necessary to take that saying literally. I didn't go anywhere; hardly left my bed! But honestly, it's still kind of exhilarating:) I mean, doesn't every normal person usually come home after a long day with their feet and/or hands hurting? My hands hurt 'cause I've been gripping the walker handles very tightly, but I'm sure there are construction workers and NSA agents out there and who knows how many millions of other employees working their fingers to the bone EVERY day! I've just gotten a very small taste, and I do consider i

Do we live in a dystopian nightmare? Or is it that the old "rugged individualism" is being forced out of retirement, so people help each other out? Honestly, I can't figure out if I like this news or not. But I think it's worth addressing. I'm so sorry that we have to ask these questions, but with the Baby Boomer era sloooooowly receding, it was bound to come up. What do we do now? How do we move forward? Who's going to be in charge, and how? Hence, a story like this. The old ways of private insurance are showing their seams at this point. Here comes ingenuity and resourcefulness and compassion:

Here we are, Lovelies! Almost to the last weekday and I still haven't written:( But in my defense, it kind of snuck up on me. I've been thinking and planning so many "moves" lately I haven't stopped. My mind is reeling! This blog is a wonderful anchor. When I'm not focusing on "the world" or my faith, I can center in on what defines me, which is indeed what we all (I think) ultimately focus on at the end of the day, when we have to make decisions. Not that the aforementioned characteristics DON'T define me. But they do tend to fade into the mist around a busy life, which I have (almost without realizing it) built myself. Nor do I want the plight of the Disabled community to BECOME one of the things that fades into the mist. That would be counter-intuitive to my very well-being! Because if I don't at least acknowledge the things about me that make me "different" and admit that I need adjustments now and then to MAKE that life

Good Morning, Lovelies! I started writing yesterday. I intended to finish writing yesterday. But an exceptional dinner and the resulting mess I had to clean up afterward totally stole my mojo:) So here we are; a day late but hopefully I'll make up for any of our shortcomings! So today is a beautiful day, and that's a very good thing, as I have plans. I just wrote down the directions to the County Clerk's office with bleary eyes (an easy walk from here), waiting for my coffee to brew. Now it's "Monday Morning Coffee Time", I can tell you I'm getting the petitions to get myself on the ballot for library commissioner! They meet very close by, and I actually met one of them at a meeting there last week! Hence the motivation to run. It's a little frightening; I have SO many other things going on. But I the member I spoke to assured me it's only a once monthly time commitment. And that's only for 2-6 years. So if I AM elected (first I have

Happy Sunday! One of the things I enjoy sometimes doing at my church, during the Fellowship/social aspect after the service, is to take my coffee and walker and sit up against the wall, facing the room. I'm away from everybody and clearly on my own, but I'm simultaneously in the very center of the action, 'cause I can see everything. An interesting result of this isolation in a crowd (my "normal" since I know a lot people and a lot of people know me, but I'm most comfortable alone) is seeing who breaks the invisible boundaries I've erected and approaches me:) There are a few brave souls to who do, blessed like myself with just enough extroversion to make them friendly to everyone in any situation. And if I'm honest with myself, I know there are some lingering ghosts of low self-esteem who would inhibit my social interaction without these people. I would tell myself "nobody wants to talk to me; they've all got their own friends"--no

While I'm not sure if my particular kind of benefits will...uh...benefit from this news, if it does, then my life has just changed:) And maybe that 6-month frenzy of calling my representative every day, and writing a letter detailing my life story and why marriage should be allowed to enter into it--were worth it. Granted, it hasn't gone through yet, and my representative may have nothing to do with the representative from New York trying to push this bill through. But what if it does, and what if it did? https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2019/03/12/bill-protect-ssi-marry/26170/?fbclid=IwAR2813dSCIzYw5XSBPU_fcEeS1gkuyxgdPZen3tNhgTtHB7PBpMyXGUlEDg

Happy sunny, brilliant Monday to you all! I got so busy yesterday (and then so tired) I let the whole day slip by without an entry:( As the title says, "I'm to blame." BUT...today has been remarkably busy as well, and I'm making a POINT to keep you all up to speed on my comings and goings/thoughts about life. So at least I've got my priorities straight today:) And toward that end, I'll tell you that I just got back from a little bus ride to the grocery store, and I remember why I usually get my groceries delivered these days. Don't get me wrong, the walking was nice, and the weather is absolutely perfect even with the occasionally blustery wind. But the drivers and the other passengers can be downright callous. The first bus driver I encountered made a point of telling me (before I'd even settled myself) I had to ride with my walker "on your knees", i.e. folded up. As if I don't know the rules, as if I'm stupid or just as rude