Former French general and president Charles DeGaulle said at the funeral of his disabled daughter in 1948: "Now she's like everyone else."
I have not read this quotation in context, so I do not know what he meant, but I can imagine one possibility from 1948 -- Now that she's in Heaven, she's normal. She can walk, see, hear, think, speak, whatever it was she couldn't do while alive.
I am a disabled woman, and I relish not being like everyone else.
I get inordinate pleasure from rolling over dry leaves with my power wheelchair and hearing them crunch under my tires. I like living on campus at a university and being allowed to have a dog. I love making jokes about my disease and my "strange" body and watching people who don't know me well fidget and try to respond. I love giving my "niece" rides on the back of my chair or seeing my "nephew" sleeping peacefully in my seat as his mother helps me into bed.
Having a degenerative motor neuron disease (MND) isn't sunshine and daisies -- but neither is it darkness and peace lilies. Continue reading as I continue writing, and maybe together we'll work out what it was, is, and will be.
11 comments:
I like it and look forward to hearing more! I just want to know . . have you always felt this way, or is it age? I find that as I get older, I realize that I like & accept myself as I am more than I did when I was younger. It is amazing to me that as we age, we get SO much smarter & self assured.
Holy crap, you are online for like a couple hours and you have a commment already - good job! I too look forward to hearing more.
Thanks for sending me this! This is gonna be a fun and fascinating blog and if I'm not careful I might learn something.
I'll be right here with you, D. *hugs*
Thank you for inviting me to read it, I'm honored.
Jen -- It's definitely as I've gotten older. I was horridly shy and self-conscious when I was younger. I'm only mildly shy and self-conscious now. :-)
Elizabeth -- I just got it like that! *puffs up chest* Thanks for reading, and I look forward to many discussions with you. By the way, I linked you. Hope you don't mind.
Kevin -- I don't know about fun, fascinating, OR learning. But maybe.
Amanda -- Glad to have you along. I look forward to your comments. *hugs back*
You were a smart ass in High School?
Lori -- You knew me in high school. Do you really have to ask that question?
Ha, ha ho - I actually updated my blogroll...from 2006 (haha, not really.....uh, maybe), and added you too! So back at you (Is this a competition?)
Elizabeth -- If it is a competition, then I WON becacase I linked you first. Nyah nyah nyah!!!
Yeah, I'm in a goofy mood.
i think i'm going to love your blog : )
if you send me a message at consciouslycrip(a)gmail.com, there is group you can join called disabled bloggers building community. we share links, stories, rants with each other.
Ms. Cripchick -- I hope you continue to like the blog. I was excited to see you comment as I've seen you on other blg rolls. I will send a message to you about joining the community -- if I can't have a gimp community in my city, it's wonderful that I can have one online. Thank you for the invitation!
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