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Walking My Path

“If you give birth to that which is within you, what you have will save you.”

– The Gospel of Thomas

I have always wanted to feel normal. I have always wanted to be able to walk, talk eat and live as a normal able bodied person.

I have always made decisions and choices based on what I thought I needed to do so that I would appear to be a “normal” person rather than what I wanted to do. It was very important to me. It was so important to me that it lead to me being of mistakes on my part. I became very fearful of making them. I would make catastrophes of even small mistakes. It greatly undermined my confidence. Even so, I kept at web design, a long time, even though i could never seem to make any progress. The web seemed to evolve at a faster pace than I could stand. After quitting a job for which I wasn’t a good fit and struggling with a severe depressive episode, I decided to change direction completely and start talking my book seriously.

Not long after I started my new direction, I read this quote from the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas. It resonated with me and seemed to reinforce what I was doing. So much so, that I began to read so more of it. In my opinion, it seemed to talk about transcending the world and societal expectations and following your own instincts which is what was, and still am attempting to do, in writing this book. I felt a sense of peace while reading quote. So, I continued writing and editing the book

The ongoing process of writing this book has indeed had its frustrating moments, but, for the most part I have been calm and happy. More happy than I ever was in web design. I am no longer depressed and I have better control over my thoughts and emotions. Perhaps that means that that one is “normal” when one is happy being oneself. I think Thomas would agree.

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What have I learned?

I’m about to celebrate my thirty-eighth birthday. Thirty-eight years on this planet and living my life has taught me one thing. Adversity is part of life, for everyone. But the hardest obstacles to get past are the ones we put in front of ourselves. Its okay to ask for help but we must never lose site of our own strengths and responsibilities. At then end of the day each of us is responsible for our own happiness. We cannot depend on other people to make us happy, that is our task alone.

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Ying/Yang

Wheelchair, Superimposed with Ying/Yang

I made this picture with Photoshop. A Ying/Yang represents duality, dark exists side by side with light for me this is how I feel about disability. A lot of darkness a lot of limitations But a lot of mental strength too That’s why I put a wheelchair in in the picture to represent very conflicted feelings. Its part of my life but not all of it. I also write and swim and do volunteer work. I’m also a gamer. I believe I live a full life despite my circumstance. That’s reason for pride. Ambivalence is the word I use to describe my feelings.

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Lets Get Nuts!

Pick a movie quote that describes your life. My favorite line from any movie would have to be from Batman in 1989, “You wanna get nuts? Come on lets get nuts!” Bruce Wayne is daring his opponent here, egging him on, as if he can hardly believe he can carry out his task. I’ve always felt that this line describes my life. When I was growing up, there were a lot fewer adaptions for disabled folks. I was also used to being segregated from other disabled folks. I’m cognitively typical but need physical help with a great deal of things. Sometimes people are shocked that I can do as much as I can. They’d think its nuts. That’s why I’d pick “Lets Get Nuts!”

What would you pick?

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Happy Fourth of July

Happy fourth of July everyone! We have a great many freedoms in this country I think freedom of speech is the most important Jeri Taylor, a writer for Star Trek The Next Generation wrote, With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably.’ Remember, as long as you’re not hurting anyone, you can do anything you wish that brings you joy. That is the meaning of freedom.

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Similes are very Important

I have found that similes are very important. Especially They are like, allegories on the SATs where you compare something to something else. Good similes are especially important when you’re building a fantasy world. A properly executed simile can bridge the gap between the “real world,” and the world of of fantasy. A properly executed simile can liken a fantastic thing to a real world thing. For example, “The mermaid’s fin was as a blue as an summer sky,” can help the reader believe in mermaids because it likens something they don’t know, a mermaid’s fin, to something they do know, the color of the sky in summer. It makes the mermaid more believable. I have also found that if I use too many similes, it can make the reader slog through the pages of a story like a muddy swamp. Wow! that was a good one! Anyway, similes should be used sparingly and with care.

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The importance of words.

Words are very empowering. Especially for those with disabilities. For example When people help me move, they usually use the word “Transfer” Here’s the thing. objects transfer, but people move. Its important to treat people as people. One of the ways we show respect for people is in the words we use. For me, to use the word, ‘transfer’ is to imply that I am passive in the act of movement. I am not passive. I help I wish people would use the phrase “Help me move” It honors my efforts to be helpful in the act of moving.