Reframing Disability

✨? And don’t be made to think differently.

Happy Magic Monday My Fabulous Ones?✨

Image description: words on a yellow-green cut out piece of paper that reads “A disability is something that you have, it is not you.” The paper is placed on a pink and green background

You Can!!

?✨Happy Magic Monday my Fabulous Ones ✨?

This a reminder at the start of the week, that you, yes YOU, can do anything ?? Turn them thoughts into reality and make yourself proud???✨

Illustration by @soolooka

[Image description : There are two illustrations of plant pots. On one plant pot there is writing that reads ‘I can’t do it ‘ with a small bud. The other pot has writing on it that says ‘I can do it’ with a tall flower with smiley face drawn on the flower head. There is an illustration of a person turning towards the pot with the flower with a magic wand in there hand. Above this illustration reads the words ‘everyone has magic power to make a thought grow’. And underneath reads ‘make sure you choose the thoughts that make your life better’. The background of this illustration is purple. This illustration is by @soolooka]

Stop Hiding!!

? Happy Magic Monday my Fabulous Ones?

There’s a saying never be afraid who you are. I for one am a huge advocate of this. There was a time when I would ask “ Can you not get my wheelchair in the photo?” But really what is there to hide? Why should I hide apart of myself? Why should I fear the behaviours of others?

Ignoring apart of myself will only lead to misery, to fixate on a unhealthy desire to be someone that I’m not destined to be and really who I don’t want to be. The thing is this hiding thing came really from a place of wanting rather the needing ??‍♀️ and who honestly wants to hide?-unless you eat the last sweet in the packet and you feel all eyes glare at you ??

So for the last few years I have dropped this want to hide and have allowed my wheels to be seen …and they do also say give credit whet credit is due and my chariot really does need this after all where she have taken me!

Let us not be afraid of who we are, let’s try to acknowledge all parts of ourselves . If we just try and not let those naysayers pollute our perception and force us to believe that we “should” be a certain way. Would we really want to be around these people?

Show of them beautiful peacock feathers and don’t be afraid in doing this … and just a heads up make sure no one is around as you devour the last sweet ??????

[Image description: Rebecca is sitting in her wheelchair. Rebecca is smiling at the camera. Behind her is a grass area ]

Self-belief

?✨ Happy Magic Monday My Fabulous Ones ✨?

This is your Monday reminder, via the wonderful @stacieswift, to always try and go after what you believe✨✨ It is not a easy thing to do at times, but it is always worth it! Believe in your lovely self ???

[Image description: the word ‘HAVE’ is printed in white in the centre of the image. Underneath is the word ‘COURAGE ‘ written more bigger and bolder. Underneath reads italic words in brackets ‘EVEN IF YOU FEEL A BIT WOBBLY AT FIRST’. The background of this illustration is pink. This illustration is by @stacieswift]

Stay in your own lane

?✨ Hhhaaappy Magic Monday MyFabulous Ones ✨?

Live life how you want and don’t be held back from doing this?? No one is living your life but YOU! Free yourself child ?????

This wonderful illustration is by @helloitskayley ?

Love Yourself

?✨? Happy Magic Monday my Fabulous Ones ?✨? It’s important to just be who we are and not throw the light away from ourselves- embrace it!? I love the fact that no one has my wobbly walk ! And it’s not up for negotiation ?

What do you love about you? Feel free to share, if you want to of course! Let’s kick this week off with a bit of self loving???

Be bold. Be you

✨?✨ Happy Magic Monday my Fabulous Ones ✨?✨

Just an important reminder today to keep doing things for you, without the need to impress or hide behind this ? Be bold, be you ❤️

Illustration by @naturallifez?

You are important !!

✨?✨Happy Magic Monday my Fabulous Ones ✨?✨

This is your reminder courtesy of the wonderful @littlearthlings that you, yes YOU, are important? You are loved and make the world sooo much brighter ???? May you have a sun shiny day, all my love ?✨??

CP Day!!!

Dear Reader,

Today I wear green for a very special reason! Nope, I haven’t got my days wrong and doing this for St. Patrick’s Day. Nope, I haven’t converted my favourite colour to green, it is still very much rainbow (though I could be just repping one of its colours just because, but it’s not that either). I am seen in green today because it’s Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day!

For those who don’t know what the heck Cerebral Palsy is, I described it as something that means my movements are a little uncoordinated . Why? Well I don’t really like the ‘why’ very much as for some, this can spark a spiral of stories in their mind when they hear the phrase ‘Brain Damage’ and don’t hear or ignore the rest of the sentence. Also another reason why I haven’t wrote about CP in this way before is because to me this bit is kind of irrelevant as you know the damage has sort of…already been done…I think that is the saying anyway! But as it is CP awareness day, I will try to explain quickly!

Yes, CP is a result of brain damage, which that occurs before, during or after birth or in childhood, and has an impact on the part of the brain that is responsible for a person’s movement and coordination. This, therefore, has an impact on one’s physical ability. The symptoms and severity of CP varies from person to person, so I can only write about my experience which will definitely be different, if only slight, from someone else. For me, as said earlier, my movements can be shaky, slow and CP can also throw in a few unwanted moves now and again. With this, there is also one huge give away when I am a little anxious about something – I am a more wobbly than usual (shaky Sallie X10!!). Sometimes my muscles can be stiff especially on my right side of my body therefore can be hard to complete tasks with my right hand, therefore I tend to do almost everything with my left. Also, as if CP hasn’t stole enough limelight-still at least it’s in keeping with its colour-, it means that the group of muscles controlling my speech also moves  a little different to someone without CP, so as a result my speech is a little impaired. This aspect in particular I do find hard sometimes even now, though my speech as improved a lot. Whenever I get into a fluster I try to spin my perspective to something more helpful and a little more positive- not many folk can get to be heard twice or more!!!

It is so so important for people with CP or with any other obstacle, for that matter, not to be defined by them-it is something you HAVE it is NOT you!!! The worst but empowering, in retrospect, stages CP is when one is a child and a lot of doubt is around about their abilities. My parents were told I would never sit up, when I was very young, but a few years after they were told this I could even take a few steps. All the ‘no’s’ I got given about being able to achieve certain things I was , with the support of my family, able to show to myself that I could. It is sooo essential to only have those around you who believe otherwise, who believe in you. With this, another thing to remember is that no matter what anyone says you can turn around and write your own story!! You can rebrand parts of you challenge to make it a little easier to manage or comprehend. For example if I’m walking with someone and happen to stagger, I may say something like “Yep, I’m showcasing my dramatic ballet again.’ By doing/ thinking like this it make things a little lighter.  Or if I am having a day where I feel that I am going a little more slowly, I try to remember that everyone0 is meant to go at their own pace as a streak of comparison tries to creep in! Life hacks are sometimes just needed!!

Over the last few years since writing to you, I have become more open and been able talk more easily about my CP.  In addition, I have also been able to learn things about CP from others that have resonated with me. Even though there are many down sides to social media, this is a big up; connecting with others who have experienced similar things to you is invaluable and, furthermore, you feel less alone. Days such as these are important as it highlights and builds awareness around a particular cause or condition of something that one may know little about. Writing parts of this has been hard. There are areas of my disability I still find difficult to express. But this is another vital factor about awareness days- they can be reflective and as a result alleviate some heaviness around certain thoughts.

Putting together my outfit for CP Awareness Day has been so very fun and this is how life usually can be, which can be easily over looked. Days like today, though it brings about awareness about a condition, they also allow one to realise that there is a lot more to a person than their diagnosis!

Here’s to CP Awareness Day!

All my love XX

Be Proud of Yourself

✨?✨ Happy Magic Monday my Fabulous Ones ✨?✨

Being proud of ones self is something I continually strive for! It used to be something I would run from and think of all the opposite things… very unhelpful! But now I am working on being proud of myself, it’s a very healthy quality to have!!

Who’s with me? Let’s kick off this week by finding things in ourselves we are proud of!???

Lovely illustration by @littlearthlings