“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African Proverb A couple of political events in Calgary and Alberta opened some curtains in the mist of some lost memories this week. That can be beneficial because it makes me think of how we got to where … Continue reading The Western Migration
Tag: change agent
Advocacy 101 – A Basic Introduction
"Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight" - Bob Marley I wrote a brief "rant" a couple of weeks ago regarding social justice. I had a lot of feedback and a common theme was the request for steps on "how" to be a social … Continue reading Advocacy 101 – A Basic Introduction
No Bulb in the Socket
"Life is to short to drag a trunk of suppressed negative feelings around, dump that crap and travel life's road with an overnight bag. The trip is much more enjoyable when not weight down with old baggage." - Terry Wiens (2018) CONFESSION - ALERT, if course language and angry outbursts affect your sensitivities you should … Continue reading No Bulb in the Socket
The Building Blocks of Youth
“To take children seriously is to value them for who they are right now rather than adults-in-the-making.” ~ Alfie Kohn We all like to see our kids enjoying themselves. We all want to protect our kids however there is a big difference between "protecting" and "hiding" them from the realities of the world. Too many … Continue reading The Building Blocks of Youth
The Road Forward, The Path Behind
"One can talk good and shower down roses, but it's the receiver who has to walk through the thorns, and all its false expectations" - Anthony Liccione I just read an article by a Chris Lenart describing the involvement of fathers in the lives of their disabled child. I don't know Chris personally and there is … Continue reading The Road Forward, The Path Behind
Back Home and Back to Basics
History never really says goodbye. History says "see you later" - Eduardo Galeano Between dealing with the "normal" aging process of a non-conventional body and watching the erosion of disability rights I have been withdrawing into a numbness. I feel like I have been fumbling around a dark tunnel for the past three years while … Continue reading Back Home and Back to Basics
The Aging Challenge
"Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength" - Betty Friedan Having spent all of my life with a disability I have learnt never to take anything for granted. If I accepted every "assumption" that had been thrown in my direction I probably wouldn't be where I am today. With … Continue reading The Aging Challenge
Stuck in the Middle…
"Most 'Monty Python' fans are, of course, baby-boomers, who have long been a nostalgic lot and are growing more so as they totter towards old age" - Terry Teachout There is an old adage that goes "being in the right place at the right time" which applies to individual or a whole generations. From a generational … Continue reading Stuck in the Middle…
With Fear as the Warden!
"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear" - Mark Twain Another foggy day out there and no wind to help dissipate it. From my window I can see the huge Canadian flag as still and innocuous as a snail trying to avoid the escargot plate. I know Mount Benson is … Continue reading With Fear as the Warden!
On the Issue of Survival
"It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change" - Leon C. Megginson Many years ago I read a number of books written by Leon Megginson, an academic considered by many as a business guru. The first one was written in 1972 entitled "Personnel - … Continue reading On the Issue of Survival