Back In The Saddle Again

So, I haven't blogged in a week. I took some time away because to me it seemed my blogs were becoming mundane, monotonous and forced. Like what I was discussing wasn't important. They weren't my thoughts....I was just going through the motions of copying/pasting other articles and giving the author credit. That's fine to do occasionally, but I feel like I was doing it TOO often.

I DO want to discuss what I did last Sunday though. Tristen and I spent the afternoon with another family where the 11 year old daughter has Spina Bifida. Her sister is doing an assignment in her Gender & Identity college class (that is taught by my cousin) and she is focusing on how society sees individuals with disabilities. I found it to be a brilliant topic, actually. Society DOES view us differently. And we discusses that in depth. As I have gotten older, I have come to realize that society views disabled individuals as asexual....neither male or female...therefore with no ability to perform traditional or nontraditional gender roles. I have actually noticed this over time. People are damn near shocked to learn that I can cook and clean on my own....AND that I love outdoor activities and watching sports. It just doesn't occur to people that we still have the ability to perform certain roles that anyone else can partake in. So, we discussed this at length and how it may or may not have shaped my growing up...along with being the only girl in a family of 6 grand kids.

Other than that, it was absolutely WONDERFUL to speak to her sister that has SB and see that their family is teaching her to be independent and that she can do darn near whatever she wants in life...She will just do it sitting down. No biggie there. I LOVED this girl!! She is so full of life and exuberance!! I'm sure she never meets a stranger. The ONLY thing that disheartened me was learning that she had been bullied by classmates because of her being in a wheelchair. However, the way she has handled it is amazing.

I really hope that I can hang out with this family again soon. I'd love to be something of a mentor to her. I think we could both a learn a lot from one another. I know that I am already better off for having known her and being a part of this project.