tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4060372686205861977.post6662563465807125904..comments2024-03-26T05:32:30.698-05:00Comments on Tonia Says: Let's Talk About Faith Part 10: WorkTonia Sayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11406280143637741965noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4060372686205861977.post-63405413846365527142016-08-08T11:20:57.237-05:002016-08-08T11:20:57.237-05:00K, I love your comments!!!!
To be fair, I really ...K, I love your comments!!!!<br /><br />To be fair, I really had NO IDEA what I was doing, especially early on. I just knew I felt like it would be wrong of me to not do ANYTHING while my coworkers were busy. It's hard to think on your feet in those instances, and to know what to do or how to substitute one activity for another. It's a lot of hit and miss before you find something that works.<br /><br />:( I'm sorry you had similar difficult experiences. I feel like, perhaps, if I'd had my chair (or been able to have it on camp grounds) I would have felt more stable physically and more comfortable asking for help if I needed it. There really is no way to know now, but hindsight is always 20/20...<br /><br />I love that you know what it's like, with us helping each other. That's something I never read about or hear about but I feel like it happens often. AB people help (of course) but we also help each other.<br /><br />And...washing up at the sink wasn't so much tricky as it was an act of desperation LOL. We only had 2 free hours every 24, so I always used one to wash up. Not ideal. But it was so easy to get hot and dirty there that it really did feel refreshing.<br /><br />And I don't think you would have loved being my camper huddled in the shower under a mattress for an hour with 12 other people. Poor kiddos. Everybody was so on edge, and worried about their siblings. But thank you, that's so sweet of you to say.<br /><br />So glad you liked this one, even though it has a decidedly different feeling than the others. It was, overall, a really good experience.Tonia Sayshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11406280143637741965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4060372686205861977.post-40834909994301854902016-08-08T10:47:51.395-05:002016-08-08T10:47:51.395-05:00Ohhh...I love this post!! It perfectly captured th...Ohhh...I love this post!! It perfectly captured the struggles of having a disability in a setting like this - and the difficulties/successes of self-advocacy and connecting with others. I was really impressed with your ability to cope and seek alternatives to the physical games. Looking back on my own experiences, when I was thrust headlong into Red Rover and tag in the dark and dancing (age 18, college orientation), it didn't even occur to me that I should find something else that worked for me. Instead, I suffered through it and broke down in my room after. <br /><br />And ohhh your boss. I've encountered tons of people who are uncomfortable as well - and when you're already uncomfortable asking for help, that makes it 10x more difficult! I've scooted down my fair share of stairs and curbs, too. <br /><br />Ahhhh THOMAS and CHARLIE! YES. I loved that part. He "got" it. I love how you said "it was often we, who created access or each other." So true. I noticed that at college, too. There was one time I was walking back from class and I noticed that my friend (who also has CP) was struggling with her backpack - it kept slipping off her shoulders and she was having a hard time walking with it, but she couldn't adjust it because she was using her crutches. I'd had that frustrating experience too - I knew exactly how it felt, haha. I was too far away at first, but as I hurried to catch up to her, I noticed that person after person after person just sort of glanced over and walked away. <br /><br />When I finally caught up to her, I asked her if she wanted help (YES, she said) - so I moved the straps back onto her shoulders, but I noticed that they were too loose. "I'm not going to pull on them to tighten them now because I don't want you to lose your balance," I said, but I showed her how to tighten them when she got back to her room so that the straps would stay on her shoulders. She laughed and said, "Only another person with CP would understand that they can't pull on my backpack while I'm standing!" ;)<br /><br />Also - ohmygoodness, I can't believe you washed up every day at the sink!!! That must have been tricky!<br /><br />I love that you were able to find your place at the camp and that you were able to see firsthand just how much of a help you could be. I smiled at the tornado story - as someone who was nine years old in the summer of 2003, I would have LOVED to have you as my counselor, especially during an experience like that. <br /><br />And ohhh...I love how you connected with that 14-year-old girl as well. <br /><br />This sounds like it was such an amazing experience for you. especially in the context of all of the difficulties you'd had in the past. I'm so glad that you had the courage and skills to put yourself out there and find/create a community that accepted you...and you really rose to the challenge as a leader and mentor for the campers. AWESOME. I love this post!Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16465476805924801942noreply@blogger.com