Monday, October 25, 2010

This seems to be a wall


Somehow, I got musing on the idea of walls - those apparently insurmountable obstacles that keep us from getting to where we want to go (My husband, son, and I learned that not even a GPS system in a rental car can get you through a wall to a gated community, but that is a story for another day...)

Then, my mind turned to the idea, "Well, if the wall is there and I need to get past it, how many ways can I think of to do so?" Here's a partial list


  • Build a ladder

  • Build a staircase

  • Raise money to install an elevator

  • Dig under it

  • Keep walking until you find a way around it

  • Gather a group of friends and make a human pyramid to climb it

  • Then, toss down a rope for others to climb up, too

  • All of you learn how to rock climb! (We don't need no stinkin' ropes!)

  • Use a sledgehammer and try to break it. Again, you'll need some friends

  • Divert a river to flood the area in front of it and ride over it on a giant inner tube

  • Build a hot air balloon and float over it

  • Train a bunch of birds to lift you in a harness over the wall.

  • Keep the wall, but paint a mural on it

  • Turn around and walk away from the wall. Find another place to go.

  • Sit there and blame the wall for wrecking your life

  • Make peace with the wall

And that's just from a few minutes of creative musing. What walls are in front of us? How are we going to get around them, if we choose to do so?

Sunday, October 24, 2010

An idea whose time has come...

Below is a link to a speech by Aimee Mullins, given at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference. Ms. Mullins, who is an athlete, actress, model, and speaker, discusses the hidden meanings of the term disability and how these meanings can impact the lives of people living with the experience of disability. She shares many of our beliefs that disability is a real, but limited construct and should not be anyone's primary definition. She says it all far better than I ever could; hence the link below.

I love the concept of the TED Foundation (its mission statement is below). How else can we share the many new ideas about disability issues?


The goal of the foundation is to foster the spread of great ideas. It aims to provide a platform for the world's smartest thinkers, greatest visionaries and most-inspiring teachers, so that millions of people can gain a better understanding of the biggest issues faced by the world, and a desire to help create a better future. Core to this goal is a belief that there is no greater force for changing the world than a powerful idea. Consider:
An idea can be created out of nothing except an inspired imagination.
An idea weighs nothing.
It can be transferred across the world at the speed of light for virtually zero cost.
And yet an idea, when received by a prepared mind, can have extraordinary impact.
It can reshape that mind's view of the world.
It can dramatically alter the behavior of the mind's owner.
It can cause the mind to pass on the idea to others.


Aimee Mullins: The opportunity of adversity Video on TED.com

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Springing Up

"I believe in human beings, but my faith is without sentimentality. I know that in environments of uncertainty, hunger, and fear, a human being is dwarfed and shaped without being aware of it, just like a plant struggling under a stone does not know its own condition. Only when the stone is removed can it spring up freely into the light. But the power to spring up is inherent and only death puts an end to it. "- Pearl S. Buck

I took this picture during a hike today. This tree is literally hanging on by a single root, but somehow it's enough for the tree to continue to grow leaves and live, in spite of the harsh wind and the cold of central New York.

Life is a process of casting off stones, the ones we see and feel, and the ones we don't even know are there. But life still exists under the stone; as long as there is one root, there is still life and the possibility of growth.

Take a stone inventory- what is holding us down? What are our uncertainties? What are our fears? But most important - what are our hungers? What do we hunger to do in our lives? What do we hunger for in the lives of those we love and support?

Monday, October 11, 2010

Enviable... and ordinary.

Those who are lucky enough to have HBO, be sure to tune in on Wednesday, October 14, 2010 for the premiere of the documentary Monica & David (pictured at the left, where their film won Best Documentary at the TriBeca Film Festival). The film tells the story of the couple's wedding and their first year of marriage - the beautiful (the scene in the trailer where Monica says her vows moved me deeply), the boring (doing chores), and most of all, the extremely ordinary nature of their lives.
Why is it so hard for us as a country to accept that when people love each other, they should marry and live together? Intimate relationships are our most natural supports; we should be encouraging everyone who is prepared to commit to another person, through the beautiful, the boring, and the extremely ordinary parts of life, to do so.
Remember every wedding you have ever attended - didn't the officiant ask all the guests to do what they could to help support the new couple? And didn't we promise to do so? I have- as my dear friends and family have helped my husband and me in our marriage.
Good luck to Monica and David... and to every other couple brave enough to take the leap.




Sunday, October 3, 2010

Enviable Lives- Jessica Park

Someday, treat yourself to the privilege of reading The Siege: The First Eight Years of an Autistic Child and Nirvana: A Daughter's Life with Autism by the late Clara Claiborn Park. Her daughter, Jessy, is pictured above in a photo from the Boston Globe. Ms. Park is an accomplished painter who is represented by Pure Vision Arts. She is also a long-time employee of Williams College, and the mail room of the college has recently been re-named in her honor.

Jessica was diagnosed when autism was virtually unheard of; she was fortunate to have been born into an educated, intelligent, and determined family. Even with the loss of her most vocal advocate - her mother- Jessica still has a large community of support and she continues to build upon her experiences and successes. She and her family have created a life that anyone would envy.