Sort of Inclusive

Morning Lovelies! I missed last week--my fault. I couldn't even tell you what it was that kept me away from my blog last Monday, but such is life these days. In fact, in talking with a friend of mine who DOESN'T have any challenges and hasn't been isolating, and with just about everyone I know really, there is one constant: the struggle to feel normal again. Days blending into each other, sleep schedules disrupted, trying to remember to eat right and stay active despite ALL that's going on--we're still yearning. At the end of the day, nothing is the same as it was. And although over the past week and ESPECIALLY with the return of school, things have begun to feel "sort of" like they used to--they're not. And we know that. The thing I struggle with the most is the feeling that even when we DO come out of this pandemic eventually, we should not go back to exactly the way things were. The problem with that mindset is that almost nobody shares it:( At least nobody I talk to on a regular basis. It's as if this virus is really just an inconvenience to be endured until it's cured. As if the most important things in the world are the things that filled our lives until March 2020, and getting them back is the only answer to the Covid problem. Call me crazy; the old way GOT us here. The old ways were not the best ways. Before everyone was using Zoom and/or smart phones to communicate, the Disabled community was behind closed doors and never out. "Better not seen and not heard" is how it used to be. With everyone relying more and more on the qualities we ALL bring to the table, things are beginning to change for an unseen community. It's slow and lurching, to be sure. Sometimes I'm more comfortable staying in, just so I won't have to deal with ignorant stares, and I KNOW I'm not alone in this. But there do seem to be glimmers of change. Consider my last entry from two weeks ago, where a beautiful girl with several challenges including blindness "taught us all how to read":) Personally I thought that was fascinating. And if I did, who knows how many others did as well? Meanwhile there are still stumbling blocks. Local concerts held on the lawn where someone with a mobility aid can't easily maneuver, businesses far afeild are opening back up, but the only way to get there is through public transportation, and some of us don't want to and will not take that risk. Outdoor meetups are held for a select few, but if walking very far is difficult for you, you might as well just stay home:( The first rule of accessability? "You can't have it all." The good news is we have myriad outlets. Blogs, pages, Zoom, Twitter, Reddit, TikTok--an ever-expanding list of sounding boards to voice our opinions. The opinions tbat have been hushed for so long. People are starting to speak up--however softly.

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