Counting My Blessings

 As a writer, you never know where the inspiration for a blog or story will come from. I had the idea for this blog after a conversation with a fellow disability advocate. My colleague was interviewing me for a story about transitioning from using your family to care for your physical needs when you are disabled to using outside caregivers. When the article is finished, I will post the link here.
We got off topic and started talking about our living arrangements at some point in the conversation. It came out that my colleague still lived with her parents in their tiny house. Sometimes it takes a kick in the ass to make you appreciate what you have, even if it isn't exactly what you want. Life still has its ups and downs. Yes, I still have trouble finding help, but my situation is pretty plush. Recently I have been presented with the opportunity to work with Florida Self-Advocacy Central again after nearly three years. I was presented with the opportunity to join a fellowship program. The program lasts for five months, with the option to renew the fellowship in August. As a part of this fellowship, I will be writing more articles for Florida Self-Advocacy Central. I will also be conducting training to help other people with disabilities become powerful voices for change. However, as excellent as the fellowship is, that is not the only reason I am thankful.

While writing for the fellowship, I have developed a great relationship with my uncle Tom. We have always loved each other like family, but now he serves as my primary editor for most of my written work. Our relationship built on love has grown into a much deeper love and respect for each other. He will even be editing this post before it is published. With that being said, this message is for you, Uncle Tom. Thank you for being the wonderful uncle and friend that you are. I am so blessed to have the connection I do with you.

There is one more blessing that I want to address. As I mentioned earlier, my friend still lives with her parents. I, on the other hand, am blessed with my apartment. Yes, I live on the same property as my parents, which can have its drawbacks, but for the most part, I could not have a better setup. Most people who require as much physical assistance to function as I do are forced to live in a group home. As a disability advocate, I am grateful that group homes exist in place of their predecessors' institutions, such as Willowbrook. These facilities were not even fit for prisoners, much less for people with disabilities. I say all that to acknowledge how grateful I am. My parents are going above and beyond for me. They are moving out of their current residence because they are tired of the homeowners association and its over-the-top amounts of rules. I am blessed with the opportunity to go with them. While I do want to live elsewhere, I am grateful for the opportunity to be involved with the planning and building of a new house. As much as I wish to be independent and perhaps live in a different area, I understand that they need to be close by if I encounter issues with my caregivers. Until I had the conversation mentioned above, I still wanted to move out of state. After having the conversation, I finally realized that things are the way they are meant to be. I need to stop living in an imaginary world and accept and start living my perfect and extraordinary life.