Broken Lives Matter

Hello Lovelies! A "glimmer" is the opposite of a "downer" moment in our day to day lives--some little thing that makes our day, several times a day. Sometimes it's seeing a fluffy bumblebee or a hummingbird collecting pollen from one of the flowers outside my window. Sometimes it's something I hear about on the news, sometimes it's something a friend says in a text or message that makes me smile "for no reason", at random intervals, throughout the day. Today I would even include this gusty breeze coming in through my open window; it's so reminiscent of Fall! Or even Spring, which is actually my favorite season. Today I thought I would bring another talent to your attention who is surely a glimmer moment by himself every day of his life to those around him. The signs and the talent of my beloved Disabled Community are literally EVERYWHERE; you just have to be willing to see it. Allow me to open your eyes to Trent! Trent is a Tik Tok figu...

Hello Lovelies! The following kept coming up in my social media reels and I simply adore it. Talk about using your voice to speak for the voiceless! This amazing individual is using the voice he doesn't even have-- to bring awareness and humor to Cerebral Palsy, and speak for those who've always been quietly dismissed. When I say Ahren Belisle Comedy is using a voice he doesn't have, I mean it with absolute respect and love. I don't mean to make light of his situation or the challenges he faces. I commend his bravery and brilliance with an awe-struck silence of my own. https://www.facebook.com/reel/609797228011754

Hello Lovelies! Just wanted to share another feature of an impressive soul. His videos and photography have been appearing frequently in my social media feeds, and I wanted to make everyone aware of this guy, if he hasn't already made it to YOUR feeds. On top are his latest family pictures, followed by a (presumably drone) video he took, and a little more information about this Australia-based badass. I'll admit I'm still learning his whole story myself, but I love that it follows what I've said before about all of us doing what we can in different ways, to express ourselves and speak for those of us in the disabled community who can't. And I may add, Jaimen's tricked-out chair with the sand-friendly wheels reminds me of Molly Burke's reel regarding Braille automatically on prescription pill bottles in France. America is just as surrounded by water as Australia is. There's sand at intermittent spots throughout the country! Why has't this country jum...

Hello Lovelies! I've had this saved for a while; I wanted the right moment to share it and my thoughts. It is so powerful. Below is a reel from a dance competition show that speaks loudly to my favorite topic--inclusion. And not just inclusion, immersion. The entire theater is invested in this performance. The show's hosts are fighting their emotions, the judges sip water--look at the way one man is backed into his chair to stave off the reaction he knows is coming--nonverbal cues are ABUNDANT. Nobody watching can deny the resonance. I imagine that in person, it felt like the very walls of that performance venue were vibrating with these women's viracity. And indeed, truth and realism are boiling under the surface of every disabled person. Some of them can't "dance it out", to show the world in a way that it understands. Some of them aren't able to articulate their emotions in the most socially acceptable way. I HAVE ENCOUNTERED THIS:) While I am fortuna...

Hello Lovelies! Look at this really wonderful idea for inclusion! People with mobility issues can better handle a much lower entry edge. And they could keep their mobility aids in the vehicle!! The only problem might be the exclusion from a family tent staked into the ground BUT...maybe they could keep the family dog with them? Or at least a baby monitor or two-way radio to decrease anxiety. As a personal preference, I would not camp. But I'm entirely certain there are those out there who would love it. Maybe it reminds them of a disability-free childhood spent outdoors among nature. Or maybe it would introduce them to a whole new world of experiences they've never gotten to enjoy! In case you don't know, to view this reel, copy the link and paste it into the browser window:) https://www.facebook.com/reel/1542103372864249

Hello Lovelies! Just learned I am a functioning overthinker:) My mind goes wild over every possible outcome for every possible situation. All. The. Time. I cannot turn it off. I have the hardest time sleeping or even wanting to go to bed. Way too many secrets in the darkness. If I'm asleep I'm at my most vulnerable. What if someone texts me an emergency and I don't hear the notification? What if I DO?!! See what I mean? I'm a fuctioning overthinker in that I get things done, but not without a LOT of thought. Every thought. I'm starting to wonder if it's actually a disorder:( Inherited from my father, but ever-present nonetheless. The following popped up in my feed on social media, and I think it's a good visual reminder that I need to try to live my life functioning. Not JUST as an overthinker, but as somebody who doesn't exhaust herself thinking.

Hello Lovelies! I've been sitting here reflecting on the concept of strength. Strength and weakness, more specifically, and what exactly seperates the two. I've heard it said that weakness MAKES you stronger, and if you ask me, this is entirely fact. Toward that end, I always used to point out to a former neighbor of mine that "women are stronger"--and he would get quiet. The way you do when you don't believe some one. My friends, he was a piece of work. The kind of person you associate with because of proximity and because you feel like you SHOULD--in your early 20s--but not the kind of person who sticks. But it has always given me a reason to gloat when I see a woman breaking a barrier in her career or completing a task that some man somewhere found "beneath him" or too distasteful to be bothered with. I.e; it scared him. Like those tee-shirts that say "if it had been 3 Wise Women..." and then list how they would have brought food, cleane...

Hello Lovelies! I'm pretty sure I've shared Molly Burke on this blog before. If not, I've followed her for a while and I'm sharing her with you now! She amazes and motivates me; we are a community growing strength and visibility in this world thanks to people like this lady. The reel I'm sharing is Burke bringing attention to something the US has casually ignored as much as it can: the need for inclusion in a medical situation. I mean. Access to medication. Medication, folks; kind of important that we not keep it from people. No matter what their challenges, no matter how little they are thought of, they NEED to be considered. Exclusion kind of implies that society would rather they not exist. The video speaks for itself. Enjoy! https://www.facebook.com/reel/1811198689295395

Hello Lovelies! I've just been across the country, this time NOT on the train. But it was a wonderful and perspective-gaining trip. The following bit of levity is from weeks and weeks ago, but I choose to post it now. It's about how much it means to us when we're included. Loved, accepted, truly enfolded in all that's going on. My favorite part is how touched the comedian seems to be that what he THOUGHT might be a cause for conflict--was received with love. This is what we should all strive for, in my opinion. Because it turns out, Lovelies, that everyone in the world. Every. Single. One. Needs to feel included, accepted, seen, appreciated, heard, respected and loved. I made a comment on this reel about how the Disabled love to be treated like everyone else, that there's something about it that touches our very being. It was liked by the comedian himself (I like to believe), and that touched ME like nothing has in well over a year. Turns out I'm teachable, ev...