Migrating

Almost everywhere we look today migration is bandied about as a bad thing. Why?

We are, by nature, a curious folk and this curiosity has led to all the amazing things we now have in the world.  Migration brings new people, experiences, viewpoints, cultures, tastes, sounds, sights, smells, collaborations and discoveries.

How many of us love a good curry?  Or pizza?  Burger?  Crepes?  Falafel?  Bake and Buljol?

We may not like or agree with everyone in the world but the beauty of freedom is that if you do not like someone you can move away.  (I almost wrote 'walk' then realised that I usually 'roll'!!)

I am pretty sure that all those people shouting about immigrants being bad enjoy the benefits of those immigrants.  How many of our doctors and nurses are immigrants?  What about cleaners? Teachers? Teaching Assistants?  Carers?  Restaurant staff?  Hotel staff?  Builders? Office staff?

Just as so many people have chosen to come to this country many of our natives have chosen to emigrate and give the benefit of their skills to another nation.  This freedom has allowed us to collaborate with each other and great discoveries have been made. 

We are a world of innovators-from the person creating recipes in their kitchen to the person designing a space station we all contribute to the world.  I could not reach so many of you without the internet being so easily accessible from my bed and this connectivity has eased my isolation immeasurably.

IN the spirit of migration a friend recently suggested that I blog with Wordpress so that I can reach a wider audience and in the few shorts days of doing just that I have received more feedback from readers than in all the time with Blogger so, in the spirit of migration, I have decided to move.  All my posts have been transferred and this will be my last Blogger post.

Please do join me in my new Wordpress home.

Flotsam

Ever get the feeling that everyone around you is surging ahead and you're left in their wake?

Disability is a tricky thing; the world is not as accommodating as people think and that realisation hits hard when you're the one on the outside looking in.

When my children were old enough for school I was excited for them to enjoy their school years as I enjoyed mine but my experience as a disabled parent was depressing to say the least.  Everything that was available for parents was severely inaccessible and the fight to get access was just exhausting.  The school became a battleground.  I could see the difference in the experiences of my able-bodied counterparts and it made me very, very sad.

Time came when we removed our children from school (that's a whole other story) and immediately our anxiety levels reduced and gave us much needed relief. The disappointment I felt was surprising given the difficult experiences we had with the Headteacher but I felt that I had let my children down.  

I had deprived them of something fun.  My disability had taken something away from us- again. I am not supposed to restrict my children- I'm supposed to give them opportunities to learn and grow and help them to blossom and shine.

Time and again I have created loss for my family while friends and relatives have surged ahead; calls/emails and invitations became less and less frequent and suddenly the people I counted on, the ones I thought of as my support circle, were gone.

I get it, it's sad and depressing and boring and monotonous to be around someone with no good news who needs so much help -  like an albatross around your neck.

I'm flotsam. 

Here I am

I've been thinking about starting this blog for a while and [after spending what felt like hours trying to come up with a blog name that wasn't already taken] I'm finally here writing the first post.

The kids are keen though I'm wondering if they really know what blogging involves-time will tell.

I have systemic lupus erythematosus and fibromyalgia.  A few years ago the medicine I was prescribed began to produce unbearable side effects so I had to stop taking them. My illness became uncontrolled and things got pretty bad so I had to retire. My health was worsening and I could no longer self-care. 

Around the same time(ish) we discovered M's allergies and asthma which added to the eczema that they both have.

On top of these health issues things were made worse by a discriminating school with no regard for safety or accessibility and a dishonest headteacher [can you tell I have residual anger?] so B and I decided to home educate The Kids.

This road has not been easy.

Educating The Kids at school would be an easier and simpler solution- but would it be the RIGHT solution?

We've had some great times and we've had times when I am stuck in bed (literally!) for weeks. It is  a challenging path but anything worth doing is worth doing well, or something like that.