Different field = same results

I've been busy the last few months. I have a new job that I love, and I work with wonderful, caring, and insightful people.  It's not the disability movement, and it is making me realize there's a whole other world out there.  I enjoy that fact because it's allowing me to see the bigger picture and learning that small acts do make a difference in people's lives and the perceptions of their environments.

And, f small actions, such as plants and trees make a difference in everyone's lives, then in a way, I'm still working for the movement. I'm working for everyone, though, and not just one group of people. I can also tie in what I'm learning to the disability movement by doing small actions specific to the disability movement in my spare time, and at the same time I can do slightly larger actions at work that will tie into what improving the environment and physical space for everyone.

Doing something.....

Some days I feel like I've done nothing, when in reality I've done stuff. I think it's because I have a studio apartment, and I spend most of my time in bed. (I don't have a couch.)
So, today I got an interview with an educational nonprofit. It's for next week, and I really hope that I get the job. My Masters is in Education, and I like working at nonprofits, and they seem like a good fit.
I also applied to a job at a health insurance nonprofit. I'm not sure if I'll get a call back from them, but you've got to keep your fingers crossed and keep looking.
I also read 1/3 of a book. It's called the "Whistleblower, an its about an UN Peacekeeper who discovered that sex-trafficking was going on in Bosnia. It's a great read.
No one reads this, but at least I feel better about myself. Time to get ready to meet a friend:-)

Honesty Time, Wohoo!!

It's time to be honest with myself and others....

Can someone please tell me if my perception is correct that it's easier to talk about one's physical disability and hush one's mental and intellectual disability and hide it under the rug? Is it because if we see it, we know what to expect? If we don't see it, we're afraid of it...We're afraid of how the person acts and what the person might do to himself or others?

How does one even disclose one's mental/intellectual disability? Hello, I appear normal, but I'm really not.....I'm unable to drive because my attention goes everywhere and I zone out and literally forget what I was doing and how I got from point A to point B.

Or, Hello, I appear normal, and I laugh at your jokes and in secret I emotionally beat myself up and cry and think that I'm not normal enough up because I have depression. I take drugs because my serotonin level is low.

Ok, honesty is over.

And something is in the mix because if I feel this way, countless others do to.....
We are not alone.

House Sitting makes me question the values of a home...

I am currently house sitting for a friend and her husband. In the week that I've been here, I've realized how much I miss not having a house, and how much I'm grateful I do not have one.

What I mean is this....When people have a house, no matter where it is, they have a sanctuary to go to. They have their own living room, bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom. They do not have to think of the fact that someone else, the landlord, owns it. There becomes a sense of ownership and a sense of pride. People fix up their homes. They entertain in their homes. They worry about mortgages and gardens and plants and wallpaper designs. They do what they can because it is theirs.

I do not have a house that is mine. Instead, I have a tiny studio apartment. I long for the sanctuary and a place to call my own. Someday, I know that I will have it. Hopefully.

In the meantime, I am glad I do not live in a house. I do not have the finances to purchase and maintain a home. Also, instead of a landlord to worry about, homeowners have to worry about the possibility of their homes going into foreclosure. That's scary and sad. (On a personal note, I know a friend who has a second mortgage and another who rents out a bedroom after a divorce to pay for her home.) I also travel and am not home that often. I love the friend's home that I am now; however, I know that if I have a home, I would never want to leave and explore what life has to offer. It takes living in a crappy place to force me to go out and explore the world.

And that begs the question in this long and rambling post, what would you rather do: rent or own a house?

Unemployment Goals

I miss having a full-time job. It's refreshing to know that you have a schedule with certain tasks to do during the day. Now that I'm unemployed, there's some days where I feel like doing nothing. I don't let that happen. I make sure that there's writing to be done, my apartment is clean, and I volunteer in my community and for my community. I also geek out by reading books, watching Dr. Who, and practicing tai-chi. In the meantime, I'm also keeping my eyes and ears open for jobs. I also spend my time in coffee shops, and know that I can just sit and be.
Some goals I have yet to work on: save money and learn website creation. I know those goals will become reality in their own due time.

Peace,

Younger/Older Generations and Disability Civil Rights

The struggle for people with disabilities to live in their homes and not in their nursing homes is a long one. It is a fight that is not yet won, and younger people than ever are part of this fight. Younger people have to be. If we just let the older generation fight, then what happens when they die off or get to tired? Everyone in this civil rights struggle need support. The younger generation has to support the older one, and the older one has to educate the younger one. Sometimes it seems as if the younger generation wants to take reigns too swiftly and sometimes it seems as if the older generation does not want to give up leadership. It's not about power and control for the younger/older generation. It's all about strategy. We want to win. We have to win. It's our lives on the line and we have to ensure that we are able to receive services and supports when and where we want them.

So the question is from all of this, how can I support my younger and older brothers and sisters in this fight?

In Solidarity

I'm sitting around in my pj and wondering what to write. Lots have changed since April. I lost my job, and I'm on the hunt for a new position. A friend of mine is in the same boat I am in, and solidarity is a welcoming thing. We are going to review our resumes together and talk about cover letters. We're going to drink sake and read books. We're going to be able to lose the weight that the stress of employment brought unto us. We're going to be able to make our own goals and find out as adults what we really want to be in life.
When I referenced 'we' some of those things might not occur for my friend, and that is alright. Solidarity is welcoming and as long as we have allies, our goals, no matter what they are, will happen.