Tag Archives: disability

Day 1703: Age and the Non-Existent Need to Prove Myself

The older you get the less you feel the need to prove yourself to everyone – that’s what I keep realizing.

 

It’s 12 :  22 PM on day 1703 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, pray,  read Hosea 2, publish my Disability of the Day feature, learn one new thing –Kiribati is the only country that is part of all four hemispheres. The Equator divides the planet into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and the Prime Meridian divides it into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. –  read and comment on Driving to nowhere and everywhere, feed myself a peanut butter and banana sandwich for breakfast  and promote my Educate Generations campaign– $2 899 raised so far so grateful (thanks everyone :)) .

 

Yesterday my parents’ co-worker (my mom and dad work together) came by and asked what I was doing to which I said nothing much then she asked if I was playing games on my laptop to which my mother said something like no, she doesn’t play games she’s doing her work (I so appreciated that my mom tried to correct her co-worker’s assumption) I didn’t feel the need to elaborate on what my mom said maybe it’s because I’m getting older but nowadays I don’t need people to know everything I’m doing to feel okay about myself.                                                                                                                          

Day 1702: My thoughts on peace

“I think it’s naive to pray for world peace if we’re not going to change the form in which we live.” – Godfrey Reggio

 

It’s 12 :  10 PM on day 1702 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, pray,  read Hosea 1, publish my Disability of the Day feature, learn one new thing – The ruins of Copán in Honduras contain some of the world’s best preserved Maya temples, tombs, and hieroglyphs. The ancient empire was at its zenith around A.D. 750. –  feed myself an egg sandwich for breakfast  and  promote my Educate Generations campaign– $2 899 raised so far :) .

 

Last night with a heavy heart I was thinking about all that was wrong with the world and how we could fix it I truly believe that if each of us chose peace over retaliation for the short period that we were on earth peace would be possible. Peace be on earth.

Day 1700: Happy Mother’s Day

“Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.”- Erich Fromm

 

It’s 2 : 20 PM on day 1700 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, pray,   read Daniel 11, publish my Disability of the Day feature, publish my Kid of the Week feature, feed myself Puttu – a breakfast dish of steamed cylinders of ground rice layered with coconut – and chickpea curry  for breakfast  for breakfast, learn one new thing- Humans cannot hold their breath until they die. When carbon dioxide in your blood reaches a critical point, the brain overrides your conscious control and forces your body to take a breath.-   promote my Educate Generations campaign– $2 899 raised so far  :) – continue reading And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseni – we had loadshedding (again) –    and have lunch.

 

Today is Mother’s Day (happy Mother’s Day mom) and in honour of that I’m going to share with you an interview I did with my mom a few days ago. Watch “I interview my mom” below:

Day 1699: Thank you people of the internet

There are more good people out there than bad– that’s what I have realized.

 

It’s 12 :  00 PM on day 1699 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, pray,  read Daniel 10, publish my Disability of the Day feature, learn one new thing – Evergreen trees such as pine, fir, and spruce grow in a characteristic shape—their branches make a peak that sheds snow efficiently.–  feed myself an egg sandwich for breakfast,continue reading And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseni    and  promote my Educate Generations campaign– $2 899 raised so far so grateful :)

 

Yesterday I realized that despite the internet having a reputation for being a very dark and dangerous place I’ve experienced very little negativity most people have been extremely kind to me nobody has picked on me for being different. Thank you people of the internet for being so kind to me it means more to me than you’ll ever know.

Day 1698: “Greg Gage: How to control someone else’s arm with your brain”

“Everything we do, every thought we’ve ever had, is produced by the human brain. But exactly how it operates remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries, and it seems the more we probe its secrets, the more surprises we find.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson

 

It’s 12 :  11 PM on day 1698 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, pray,  read Daniel 9, publish my Disability of the Day feature, learn one new thing – The average adult human can go about 45 days without eating. Once you lose 30 percent of your body weight, death is imminent. –  feed myself a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast  and  promote my Educate Generations campaign–  Simon Magid who has donated three before donated $25 yesterday (thank you Simon you’re wonderful :) ) which brings my total raised to $2 899.

 

 

Yesterday I watched “Greg Gage: How to control someone else’s arm with your brain” it’s the coolest thing I’ve seen in a while in this Ted Talk neuroscientist Greg Gage shows us how the brain of one person can control the arm of another person. Watch “Greg Gage: How to control someone else’s arm with your brain” below:

Day 1697: “Every Beat of My Broken Heart” by Hawk Nelson

But what if it had to be broken
Before my heart could be open?

Maybe the shattered parts
Are the places where Your love starts
And now I am closer to where You are
With every beat of my broken heart

– Hawk Nelson, “Every Beat of My Broken Heart”

 

It’s 12 :  00 PM on day 1697 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, pray,  read Daniel 8, publish my Disability of the Day feature, learn one new thing – The Troodos Mountains on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus shelter villages, churches, and monasteries, many from the Byzantine Empire–  feed myself French toast and a banana for breakfast  and  promote my Educate Generations campaign– $2 847 raised so far so grateful 🙂

 

Recently I heard “Every Beat of My Broken Heart” by Hawk Nelson it’s a beautiful song about having to be broken in order for God to work in us and through us (again I am not trying to convert anyone to Christianity I just love the song and think the lyrics are beautiful). Listen to “Every Beat of My Broken Heart” by Hawk Nelson below:

Day 1696: What I am and am not and what my life is and isn’t

The world’s perception of a particular population is often not the reality – that’s what I have realized.

 

It’s 12 : 13 PM on day 1696 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, pray,  read Daniel 7, publish my Disability of the Day feature, learn one new thing –Bull sharks have developed special adaptations that keep salt in their bodies, enabling them to live in freshwater. Bull sharks are aggressive and usually live near high-population areas like tropical shorelines. Many experts consider bull sharks to be the most dangerous sharks in the world –  feed myself a peanut butter and banana sandwich for breakfast  and  promote my Educate Generations campaign– $2 847 raised so far so grateful (thank you to everyone who has supported this campaign so far 🙂 )

 

Yesterday sick of seeing any differently-abled person doing something worthwhile being labelled “inspirational” I took the liberty of writing down what I am and am not and what my life is and isn’t in the hopes that it will change the way the world views differently-abled people. Take a look:

What I am and am not and what my life is and isn’t

 

I am:

  • Strong
  • Courageous (at times)
  • Adaptable
  • Persistent
  • Loving
  • Giving
  • Compassionate
  • Grateful

I am not:

  • Inspirational (I am not inspirational I just have extra challenges in one area of my life which I work around (often with a lot of help))
  • Pitiful
  • Sad (my mom catches me smiling without reason and asks why I’m smiling)
  • Completely helpless (I need help with certain things but there are things I can do for myself)

My life is:

  • Meaningful (in recent years I’ve gone to bed most nights knowing I tried my best to make a difference you can’t buy that feeling)
  • Joyful (most days I tell jokes (often at my own expense) I laugh and I tease)
  • Peaceful (no matter what’s going on around me I feel peaceful inside knowing I will be okay)
  • Lonely (I have my family and they are awesome but it’s not the same as having true friends (the people who could potentially be my friends in real life are so careful around me that I know that we can never be true friend because to be true friends with someone you have to view them as your equal and not as someone that has to be handled with care))

My life isn’t:

  • Sad (when I’m running my own race and not worrying about where I’m supposed to be or where I would have been I absolutely love my life)
  • Boring (I have so many goals to achieve and so many hobbies to enjoy that I really don’t have time to be bored)
  • Easy (I have work twice as hard to do the simple things that most people take for granted) 

Day 1695: Chase ‘N Yur Face

“If you think you can do it, you can.” – John Burroughs

 

It’s 12 : 06 PM on day 1695 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, pray,  read Daniel 6, publish my Disability of the Day feature, learn one new thing – Hammurabi’s Code is a collection of Babylonian laws written in the 18th century B.C. and recorded on a stela. It was discovered in 1901 –  feed myself an egg sandwich for breakfast  and  promote my Educate Generations campaign–  my friend  Bruce Sallan, who has donated to this campaign once before made a donation of $100 yesterday (thank you  SO MUCH Bruce your ongoing support really means a lot to me 🙂 ) which brings my total raised to $2 847 (P.S. thanks God I knew you would answer my prayers eventually).

 

A few weeks ago I came across a talented young chef named Chase who just happens to have Autism and having a brother about his age naturally I found him to be adorable and endearing. Watch some of my favourite episodes of Chase ‘N Yur Face below:

Day 1694: Help and People

If people don’t want to help you there’s nothing you can do to force them and if they do there’s nothing you can do to stop them – that’s what I realized yesterday.

 

It’s 12 : 04 PM on day 1694 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, pray,  read Daniel 5, publish my Disability of the Day feature, learn one new thing – Nearly everyone has flat feet at birth—the arches do not develop fully until ligaments and muscles in the soles are fully formed. Some people never develop arches.–  feed myself an egg sandwich for breakfast  and  promote my Educate Generations campaign– $2 774 raised so far :)

 

Yesterday someone did something really nice for me which made me realize if people don’t want to help you there’s nothing you can do to force them and if they do there’s nothing you can do to stop them.

Day 1693: Educate Generations Campaign Seven Months Later

“Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together.” – Paul Ryan

 

It’s 12 : 04 PM on day 1693 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, pray,   read Daniel 4, publish my Disability of the Day feature, publish my Kid of the Week feature, feed myself French toast with banana  for breakfast, learn one new thing –Group name [of hyenas]:Clan–    Educate Generations campaign–$2 774 raised so far :) .

 

Today marks the seven month anniversary of my Educate Generations campaign benefiting the Malala Fund so far fifty-three people (including me and my parents) have made seventy-eight donations totalling $2 774  I continue to be humbled by the world’s support. Thank you Juliet Parrott-Merrell and Ann Blackburn-Pann, Nancy Scott, Meg Guegan, Ellen Seidman, Madalina Cristea, Bruce Sallan, Catherine Cook, Stan Faryna, Clare Donaldson, Barbara Royce, Duane Dell’Oca, Priya Thomas, Susan Mazza, Justina Valentine, Simon Magid, Emma Lambert, Sylvia Phillips, Nan Marvell, Nisa Thomas, Laurieann Janssens,Vincent Ang, Sarah Britten, Francoise Van Rheede, Britt Michaelian, Diane Liggett, Wayne Mansfield, Robin Schwartz, Marlene Hester, Jim Mahar, Beverly Bernhardt, Juliana Mullan, Marie Wikle, Rema Mathews, Giuliana Bland, Gaye Crispin, Paul and Kathleen Springer, Julie Faughnan, Paul Angone, Tim Fargo, Niki Chiles, Caryn Gootkin, Jasmin Egner and Martin Langosch, Peter Yobo, Kevin Brooks, Mythri  Sharath  and everyone else who chose to donate anonymously for your generous donations. Thank you Gaynor Young, Joubert Botha,  Emma Lambert,  Stan Faryna, Marianne Tarkusep, Kelly Hengler,  Ashlyn Singh,  Cazanne’Z,  Paul and Kathleen Springer,  Laurieann Janssens, Anita Cameron, Sharon Glenn, Madalina Cristea, , and everybody else for helping spread the word about this campaign. ‏

 

[Update October 3 2015: Campaign over. Final total raised is $5 285]