I write blogs for several reasons.
I don’t want to bang on about being disabled and saying, ‘look what I can do!’
Firstly, I don’t mean to big up my own life. I write blogs for several reasons because it helps me share my story. My story of life living with a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) – not a disability that society says I have. I don’t want to cause any wrong feelings by saying SCI isn’t a disability. It is! According to people’s perception of ‘disability’, SCI falls into that category. Although sometimes I feel my SCI doesn’t fit!
I could be wrong?
Sharing my life isn’t my intention. I saw an interview with Anthony Kendis, the lead singer of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, sometime after his autobiography Scar Tissue was published, and he said he regretted writing it.
Information Exchange
I have written my blogs to share information with life experiences and thoughts from the mind of a male. Who did suffer an injury as a teenager and is making his way through life. Who has been on many epic adventures in life, to the point of writing this? And who hopes to go on more.
I do not want to place my blog into a category. It is like a virtual library of little snippets of information—some of where I have been. Places that people might think are out of reach for a wheelchair user. Interesting snippets of failures I have made, hoping the reader will avoid. Stories and interpretations of life facts, meanings and messages from alternative sources.
Feelings
Emotions may or may not have poured out in the text, internal feelings that have been lingering away in the far-off reaches of my mind. Feelings are easier to write in a script than they are to say, hoping that people may read, associate with and understand.
The circumstances I write about reflect how I feel. For some events, I have put text to screen, about events that happened quite some time ago. So the memories a vague, although partially instilled in my mind. I hope more recent souvenirs in my memory bank highlight the challenges and successes of surviving with and living with paraplegia.
The odd curve ball
Life might seem like it occasionally creates intended or unintended surprises—things placed in our way, like a speed restrictor. A hurdle made for us to struggle over? Or a challenge to help develop our inner selves?
But with the correct mindset. Positive thoughts. Things in life can be accomplished, and the struggle of life can become just ‘life‘.
Advocate
Lastly, I don’t want to be a disabled advocate – a person acting, speaking or writing to promote, protect and defend the human rights of people with disability. I want to live without worrying about whether I can get into this shop or if is there an accessible toilet in that restaurant? I’m not going to kick off saying that they should be able to accommodate me.
Suppose there isn’t space or, due to the age of the building, poor access. That’s all there is to it. I’m going to take my money somewhere else – it’s their loss!
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