Broken Lives Matter

I came across this excellent article about the risks vs. the rewards of reopening the economy--as articulated through the unique perspective of the Disabled. The article says far more beautifully than I ever could how important it is to include the concerns of those more vulnerable to Covid in the discussion about reopening, bringing them to the fore for once:) I was nodding and "mmm-hmm"-ing all throughout; it rang many a familiar bell. Enjoy this (somewhat lengthy) read; listen to those who so very seldom get a voice: https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2020/05/14/disabled-people-have-unique-perspectives-on-risks-and-reopening/?fbclid=IwAR1kRJoeWZTmjtvgh5M6ceROvSeduqDWyiijioXzO9WZ2YkKzl5PxNHnpWI#6216c9f364a5

Happy Sunday, Lovelies! If you've "dropped in" on my blog for a while, you know how important God is to me. Well this morning an absolute gem of a song appeared in my Facebook feed, from an artist I've followed off and on (with varying intensity) throughout his career. https://youtu.be/iCbY-P1xttE

Happy Monday, Lovelies! Actually in terms of days of the week, I find Mondays among the hardest for me these days:( Can't get going, don't wanna get going! But then there are stories like the one below that restore my faith in humanity. Indeed, it was the thought of sharing it with all of you that finally GOT me going! All the way from the mysterious shores of Scotland--this pandemic disaster is bringing out the resourcefulness and kindness in people. Inspiring greatness where there once was only apathy or maybe just half-hearted concern toward people with very specific needs and very particular parameters. I know if it were within my power I would send over some Spaghetti Loops for Duncan! And hopefully make his mum's life just a little bit easier for a while:) That's what our FIRST priority should be in these strange, horrible times. Helping each other see the other side as comfortably and safely as possible--no matter who they are or what else they're dealing wi...

Hello Lovelies! Life is so strange right now. Nothing is "right-side up". Nothing is even "black and white" OR "right and wrong" any more. We can't judge by the same gauge that we used to any more because the whole of EVERYTHING has changed. There are shades of gray everywhere. And sometimes it does seem like those shades are closing in on us and blocking out the light. Myself I have to fight against the darkness nearly every day. But how did Gertrude Stein put it? "The artist's job is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence." An antidote. Not a toxin. So drowning my despair in alcohol is not the answer. Forgetting my despair in a musty green cloud of marijuana smoke is not the answer. And injecting or swallowing mind-numbing medications to sedate all of my emotions into a vapid black hole is NOT the answer. You can't run from life forever. You can't miss your life trying to avoid it. Y...

I know a lot of them, and you probably know a lot of them too. In fact we'll ALL probably know a lot more of them before all is said and done--the intellectually disabled. The people that are just TOO easy for society to forget during this strange, dark time. But let me tell you; life is potentially MUCH darker for them. Just have a look at this article I found the moment I'd decided to turn in. There is a reason I found it, and a reason you should read it: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/covid19-coronavirus-intellectual-disabilities-loneliness/?fbclid=IwAR0zrA3rO8U-23HHQ3rDM2nPqMIfKTNA6Ulfeuj6kEJxDcWZ5mR_r0UJZdo

Good Morning, Lovelies! It won't be "morning" for very much longer, and honestly I was a little disappointed NOT to wake up to rain, which I was looking forward to. But at least it IS sunny! There's nothing wrong with sun. And the rain is still in the forecast; it's just been postponed. So let me sing the praises of another favorite institution I've heretofore taken for granted: The United States Postal Service and UPS. Man, I would be in such a STATE without them! Since the lockdown began, I have been getting a meal service delivered that accounts for a large part of my diet--I look forward to it eagerly every week! And I'm positive I'm not the only one. Previous methods of getting groceries and medicine have pretty much all failed me. Getting on a grocery delivery list takes all day if it happens at all, and it costs much more than it's really worth these days. So I've been exploring other options, and they are out there! A wide variety ...

I have the best friends!! My friend went out and got a long list of groceries for me today! She delivered them with her whole family, who guarded my groceries from curios passersby while I made a few trips up and down the elevator with my treasures. Now I am SO well-stocked for a while. I even have a couple of indulgences I just couldn't resist asking for, and it seems like it's just in time. The wind (very intense off and on lately) has picked up. Tonight there's a 90 percent chance of rain, and as the week progresses we could be in for some snow! And over the weekend, one really bad thing happened, followed by one truly happy thing! The constant seesaw between good and bad is what I've decided is the new normal. For everyone. And according to the experts on this Pandemic, things are only going to get worse. Of course they have been saying that for weeks, and there is the danger that people will just think "they're exaggerating" the way people often t...

And so it continues. Lockdown until forever. But it's becoming clearer and clearer that having no set limits on when to end Quarantine or when to return to normal is kind of the SMART way to go. There are after all no set limits on the length of COVID-19's infestation. I for one am more than happy to stay put for the time being. Although of course I'm feeling the same loneliness and restlessness we're ALL feeling, I'm willing to stay in to prevent the spread. The images my friends post of their kids, and the videos my family sends of my little cousins and nephew are all the motivation I need to isolate and create a future for them. At least that's the goal:) Yesterday was extremely hard, I'll be honest. Having to "attend" church on Easter through a TV screen onto a sanctuary I knew was empty but for the minister and liturgist and those playing the music...it hurt. But on the bright side, it was a wonderful service! And maybe in 20 years I...

Found a little something extra while scrolling! I'm the twin with CP in my case:) But I wouldn't have it otherwise.

One of the silver linings to the immense blackness of the cloud which is Lockdown is the things we learn because we're forced to confront ourselves. A new skill to combat boredom, a new language to understand world news better, relaxation techniques to reduce stress and anxiety, a new recipe for bread omitting the ingredients you don't have on hand! The list is endless and endlessly encouraging. Just yesterday, I learned something that both terrified AND emboldened me to learn more. I like to say "I bite bullets"--in other words I read the stuff that's difficult to hear, I watch the YouTube videos that "traumatize" me with their lack of a filter. It's better to know than not to know. Then you can be proactive about the added challenges you might face, which lifts your mood considerably! What I learned from a concerned friend who used to be in the medical field is that Cerebral Palsy patients have added difficulty breathing. Since the condition ...

Hello Lovelies! Mornings (although almost afternoon at this point) allow for optimism. The rest of the day hasn't intruded on my sense of fulfillment and well-being yet, so I'm feeling pretty good about things right now, though that could change. It frequently DOES, once the world has had a chance to get its hooks in you. But after 2 weeks in my apartment, only leaving to pick up packages (or deliveries from wonderful friends) right outside the door--I feel like I've gotten this Lockdown thing--on lock! I have a meal delivery service that has taken an enormous part of the grocery burden off the usual service I use. And I've been freezing a lot of those meals for the "lean months"--when I think there's a chance that all of us might have to really dig into our stores for food. We don't know WHAT'S gonna happen, do we? So I've decided I'd rather be prepared than not, even if things never get that dire. Not to mention, if this crisis h...

So Okay, a LOT has happened since my last entry, which anybody living in the United States with internet access certainly already knows! I mean...since Thursday night two weeks ago we've all been more or less confined to our homes. Those of us with a fear of death that is. To my amazement there seem to be a lot of others out there completely unconcerned about the current state affairs, probably walking around the city marveling at how clean and empty the streets are. For my part, I have done my utmost to stay on top of the developing situation with the Coronavirus, while at the same time trying NOT to lose my mind and despair. Most of last week I was walking around my apartment in a daze, absolutely dumb-founded by the way things seemed to have change--feeling fragile as I have most of this horrible year so far. I also did a fair amount of sleeping in and feeling sorry for myself, surfing the Net and trying to fill a void in my life that I had no idea how to fill, since I'd...

Found this while I was trolling online:) Thought it might be useful; even if you already know everything, a refresher couldn't hurt--and some of it's surprising, like "get another caregiver in case your care giver gets sick"--that was a new one on me! https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/MIDHHS/2020/03/13/file_attachments/1401015/Accessible%20-%20Quick%20Sheet%20for%20Older%20Adults%203-13-2020.pdf

I love this idea. I would love it more if it also included those of us who are slow...but not yet elderly:)

Well now I get it, Why so many people look at me strangely when I go out into the world and try to live like a normal person. I'm one of the vulnerable. One of the "contagious"--I'm not contagious--but they THINK I am because of WHO I am. And there are delivery services for everything, so how DARE I assume I have a right to be out among the "normal" people? Normal. I haven't been fighting people for toilet paper. I haven't been buying every canned good on every shelf in every store for a week. I'm home safe making what I have last, thank you, avoiding passing anything I MAY have onto even MORE vulnerable people--as they should be. I have common sense and dignity, which quite a few of those who used to look at me weird--clearly do not. And I'm a pretty good writer, if I do say so myself, which some of my friends would agree with. This forced isolation has allowed me to explore that possibility even more. And to watch a lot of old "Jeo...

In a world gone mad with rugged individualism and frighteningly Darwinian thoughts on survival during this CO-VID thing, I do understand the panic. But I also understand that media and online sources can manipulate facts, figures, and information to make anyone think just about anything those sources want--so I take everything with a healthy dose of skepticism. With that in mind, I encourage you all to be mavericks like me and think for yourselves. Don't roar off to the grocery or the hardware or the TOY store with malicious intent and step on hands to stock up on hand sanitizer. Think. Be kind. Be considerate.

It doesn't seem to be in the forefront of a lot of Ablist minds the REAL problem with staying away from work or crowds if you have CO-VID symptoms. YOU yourself may well be able to survive an infection. But here's the rub, folks; the elderly, infirm, or infantile (babies) nay NOT be able to survive it. For their sake; stay hone, everybody. Stay home for the love of God. For the love of Humanity! For the record; I would stay away from my usual public haunts if I contracted the virus, though it would hurt me deeply! What would hurt more is knowing I spread the virus they couldn't fight off.

Well Lovelies, it's been so busy! This weekend when I would normally have been thinking about writing another blog post, I was SCAMMED! I never, ever would have believed I'd be scammed. I never, ever would have believed I'd fall for such a stupid thing as somebody posing as someone I trusted. Alas, anyone can be a victim:( And indeed, I found out that lately, a LOT of people I know have fallen prey. The common link has been single income or Social Security. This encouraged me to alert my readers that the jackals are on the prowl!! They're looking for the most vulnerable among us. They're preying on our own desires. And they'll get you if they want. They got me. Be vigilant, be careful, and keep your heads up. Goodnight Lovelies! The whole weekend was physically painful, and now the gradual release of the anxiety coil is making me SO tired. Who says there has to be a "bedtime"?

This week has flown by, hasn't it? I can't even tell you what my Monday was like:( I've forgotten it completely in my prematurely senior brain! But a couple VERY interesting things have happened in the Disabled Community this week that I think everyone should be made aware of if they're not already. 1) The Government has begun quietly chipping away at Benefits for the Disabled--meaning SSI. I would love to say this is exaggerated, but I don't think it is. Listening to the kids on the Autism spectrum that I volunteer with, restrictions are getting much tighter, and it's becoming much more difficult to keep what you already have. I believe this actually comes from good intentions; the Government is trying to prevent people from taking advantage of the incredibly generous system Americans have for people with disabilities--which is very noble. But in the process, of course, those who qualify for benefits and/or subsidies out of genuine need are being burned. Li...