Welcome to my blog. I post on this, roughly once a week (it does vary). I sustained a 'Traumatic Acquired Brain Injury', and a six month coma from a 'road traffic accident' whilst cycling, in October 2006. I spent the following 4 years (22-26yrs old), in a combination of hospitals and rehabilitation homes. Now, I have been living independently in Surbiton, England since October 2010. This blog begun life in December 2010, as i realised that there are many people worldwide that i want to share experiences with. I know that, as a wheelchair user, I am obviously not as mobile as i wish, so, use the internet to connect to you. I enjoy letting my thoughts represent through type. I type honestly. As numerous readers, as well as email recipients, will understand, I find typing to be very therapeutic. Thank you :)
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Friday 27 April 2018

determination

Next week... 

I am standing for the Green Party in St Mark’s electoral ward (central Surbiton area), for the Royal Borough of Kingston’s ‘Local Council Elections’. As a ‘Kingston Green Party’ we are targeting our focus on two wards in the borough, Canbury with Joe Holder, and ‘Chessington North and Hook’ with Simon Jakeman. We have grown, and are showing our strength by providing electoral candidates throughout the largest area in history, covering almost all wards in the borough. Our key, Election Officer, Tariq Shabbeer, describes briefly our mission statement, at an Election Hustings, yesterday...



Choose your music. Don’t let ‘shuffle’ choose for you!
I have only just recently, rediscovered this belief. I admit that I had slipped. I remember warning of the danger of ‘shuffle’, as a mode of playing your music. Truthfully, lazy idleness, caught me. It may seem easier to just press ‘play’, but one’s experience is enhanced for much longer, by choosing which album to listen to. Not only do you get the joy of the music, but you can anticipate what track is next, and you can review the experience during the silence at the end! Special. Silence is magical.

Record Store Day, was alerted to me by BBC 6music. Simon Pegg, explained the value of his ‘In Rainbows’, on 6music Instagram.
Two vinyl records. Personally, I don’t have a record player, but I have digital versions, and I hold these items so close to me. My two favourite artists, from my teenage years, and onwards, evermore. I have digital versions of the music now, but originally all tunes were owned on Compact-Disc. ‘In Rainbows’ was bought as a ‘vinyl package’, containing CDs. One ‘B-side’ of Jeff Buckley’s, ‘Last Goodbye’ is not in my collection, in any other format but I did play the record once!




Finally, a leader, President Emmanuel Macron, standing up to Donald Trump!
‘Macron audaciously borrowed Donald Trump's Make America Great Again slogan to talk about the environment, and the importance of the climate change agreement the US has pulled out of. He said it was time to make the Earth great again.’
Macron on environment: "There is no planet B" -


I am a graduate in Design, for ‘Visual Communication’, as well as ‘Industrial Design and Technology’. I often claim that my lonesome determination came from my history as a cyclist. Fortunately I remember that, at university, all students on my course were praised and adjudged to be graduating in ‘Problem-Solving’! This is how design students are educated, throughout. We were taught to open our minds, and create solutions to problems. I remember that we were quite overwhelmed by this, but knew that it was true. A key, is to approach the problem in entirely new way.
Now (or for the past 7.5 years), I find myself calling on these skills, everyday. When combined with determination, I never feel overwhelmed by any task that i face. If it is possible, it can be done. If it is impossible,  accept this, but look at the problem from a different view. Why is it impossible? Break it down, continuously, and realise that much can be solved. Perhaps there is a small, impossible element. But it is easier to overcome, by varying the route through, or around the problem.

Time after time, after time…
I am told that i should looking for girls in wheelchairs!
Erm…
!!! ...?
(i guess that I obviously do not qualify as a ‘normal’. ’Normal’ people do not require wheelchairs.)
I WILL NOT BE DEFINED BY MY WHEELCHAIR
No-one is ‘normal’.

Alone forever (independent forever)?

It is when troubled by this possibility, I have to play ‘my wildcard’. I am lucky for anything. I am lucky to be here at all. I am allowed to hope, but cannot expect. As with many other aspects of life, I can really hope, or dream, but reality is harsher. I may always have to deal with this, but I have experience!

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