(I'm not 100% sure where I'm going with this, but hopefully
I'm going in the basic direction.) J
Rahsaan Roland Kirk had been blind almost since birth. He
composed and performed music often with more than one instrument; as in he used
his mouth and his nose. Two years before he crossed he had a stroke that left
him paralyzed on one side of his body, but continued to compose and perform.
His music is jolly stuff.
Last year, I went to a convention and Kyle Maynard spoke. He
was born with no limbs. He wrestled and played football in high school. He owns
a gym in Georgia .
He drives. He lives in a 3-story home (bedroom's at the top). He wrote a book
about his life (New York Times Bestseller). He bear crawled up Mt. Kilimanjaro
I remember a lady at my church who taught theater, singing,
and dance. Her husband is a really nice guy and they have grown children. She
suffered a series of strokes, and up until she couldn't communicate or move
very much, she was in senior centers encouraging movement and joy (Yeah, I know
that's a bit flowery, but it's a truer condensed version of what she did.) I
give her mad props for "raging against the dying of the light." Her
memorial service mirrored the joy she brought to the world. I am all the better
for having known her.
My maternal grandmother gave birth to six children but she
raised so many more. She was kind of the silent, "It takes a
village." A model of hard work. She was a widow by the time I was born.
She never lost her humanity. She cared for us fiercely. She told the funniest stories and one I put into a vignette. I know how to iron. I
dress like a lady. I love to cook for others (I twitch a little when the house
isn't as clean as I'd like it when people come over, but it's better than not
caring.). I quote her sometimes. It was disorienting when she crossed, but I
knew what I could to honor her was to be the best I could be at
___________. At first I was a mess (and we'll talk about that in a minute.),
but now that , 7 years later, I've gotten myself together and my perception of
life is much, much clearer, I'm revisiting her words and what she did. She's a
neat lady. I miss her presence, but she hasn't gone anywhere.
So the day after I posted the last blog, I was in the shower
and thinking about my life. And I had to give myself some credit; I have
survived a lot of crap. What prompted this thought was when I was in graduate
school. My grandmother crossed the month before I started. The day after I
started my first class, I was laid off from my job (the week before Thanksgiving
so I had the feeling of failure and having to face my extended family.). I got
high as much as I could. I stayed in my bathrobe a lot. To say that I was
"disconnected" is the understatement of the century. By a miracle I
have no right to fully claim, I graduated.
Compared to people I personally know, who have survived all
of the things a human being can endure (from the "mundane" to the
horrific) and NOT turn into a $h!thead, takes moxy. And it takes a person with
that kind of moxy to be able to share their life, (whether with words and/or
actions) not necessarily to others but FOR others.
So by the time I finished listening to Kyle's words I was in
a place of "Okay, if I can accomplish so much limited by my addictions and
fears years ago, I can accomplish so much more now that I'm no longer under
that yoke," and then my inner rationalist kicked in, and the rest is, as
they say, is history.
