469 words
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In almost every way, they've changed.
When I started blogging here, I had almost no disabled friends. Most were still nondisabled. Most conversations were still others sharing and me (us) not knowing how to contribute. Just sitting by silently or talking about what we saw on TV, trying to make a connection that they could maybe relate to.
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| April, 2014. A couple months before I started the blog. |
I remember that gap. I remember the friendships where we were told, "I can't relate to you unless I watch TV!" I remember feeling so ashamed, like, I was somehow less because of how I spent my time.
But I remember when it started to shift. Seeing parent-blogs that accepted guest posts like Cautions and Kudos: For Able Parents Raising Disabled Kids and my Growing Up with a Disability series. How posting in these places ended up leading to connection, and connection, to community:
In late 2014, I made my first connection in the disability community with Vilissa, who blogs at Ramp Your Voice! Vilissa is amazing and wonderful, and has come through for me at some super necessary moments. I'm so thankful to have her in my life.
In 2015, we made our first real connection with the CP community. Maybe you read about it, if you followed back then (Like Looking in a Mirror). Nowadays I don't write about every single encounter we have with this precious family, but suffice it to say that they are just that.
In 2016, (via my series on Ellen's site) I had the pleasure of getting to know K, who blogs at Transcending CP: Shattering the Limits of a Disability. While things have changed over the years, we still find time to watch Grey's Anatomy together, and are there for each other when things get tough, which, they inevitably do.
In 2017, I began getting to know the author of Dear CP. We connect every week via video chat, and (who are we kidding) every day otherwise. We are fiercely in each other's corners. Supporting each other's endeavors and whether it's for media time or something more, we have each other's backs.
Just last year, and completely by chance, after blogging about the 9-1-1 episode Heartbreaker, and seeing an actress with CP on screen we ended up being able to actually connect with Alice and her wife Amanda. Alice even volunteered to have me interview her early on. You can read that here.
You might think, this is really strange, to celebrate 5 years blogging this way. But this is the way I choose to do it. I celebrate my people.
