Last week I had an interesting conversation with my doc in MN. We had a virtual appointment to check-in. She always asks me what I am learning in school.
I picked up one of my books and started talking about disability myths and named a few of them. I spoke about ableism/disablism, and how ableism renders or regards disability as invisible, disposable, less than human; able-bodiedness is represented as ideal, normal, and the mean or default.
A man (a white hetero man more specifically) can walk in and assume he will be given the power society has rendered him.
FYI – I am not going into a long lengthy paper thesis. Moving forward –
It’s pretty hard to argue against this – you can, if you like, but it has been in existence since the beginning of time.
I said, “I am sure in your lifetime, and I don’t know what year you graduated medical school, but you have been for some time known as a woman doctor.”
She agreed, indubitably with a chuckle.
A doctor, but a woman doctor nonetheless. Anyone other than the ideal – society pinned us; we have to state it and break free of it –
We have to grind, take that stuff inside and muster it up, and say – “You know what, I am going to do this” and move forward.
We do it with our own fortitude that comes from us, no one else, and literally, move one foot in front of the other.
Fuck, right. That is a lot of energy.
My doc then said to me, “My sister is a children’s book publisher and how this is so unrepresented in children’s literature.” And we talked a bit about that – the unrepresentative.
Story. Here we are.
It is really tough to become what we don’t see in the world. We can do it – but often, we need to see what we want to become.
There are so many people with so many conditions in the world – from shyness to anxiety, to lupus, and without accurate representation.
It isn’t about curing these conditions – one of the disability myths – it’s about gathering and mustering-up internally, and gathering our allies, we need our allies; the people we gather.
It is about having full, healthy lives – not trying to overcome our conditions.
This is a big one: if we can’t “cure,” then we feel as if we failed; failure leads to feels of loss, depression, non-existence.
Fuck that.
We reboot – and we work through our conditions or things we deal with daily by gathering all the goodness in the world and putting them in our baskets.
This is our own tools, gifts, story, vibrant humor, belly laughter, warm friends and family, love, and rope in all our allies in the world.
There will be more conditions that come out of this situation we are in.
We have to gather our gigantic, glorious baskets and move with one foot in front of the other.
Far as seeing what you want to be in the world – how you want to be, there is a lot of strength in the world.
Sometimes it isn’t a person you want to be; it’s a feeling you want to hold inside, then possibly exude, radiate.
It’s a sense you want to sit in the core of you.
There are so much strength and courage, vibrancy in the world.
There is also a lot of sadness. But we can’t focus on the sadness. We know this.
Words –
Tools and gifts,
Story and goodness –
Vibrancy and strength,
our BIG glorious baskets,
with plump, plump fruit.
belly laughs, and
adoring family and friends,
With much gratitude.
A wonderful video – please watch. I met this author three years ago at Highlights. Some great, great, phenomenal ideas and she radiates –
Love, love, love Easter Parade. Watch the whole movie if you can. The costumes are bold with pinks, purples, and sky blues. I enjoyed the storyline as well. Enchanting.
Much love to you –