Sunday, February 26, 2012

Little Things Being Huge

The Good: I went down to my college a few days ago, to register.

My counselor had me sign a form to register online, then I went and paid the cashier. I don't actually register until the 6th, but this was a small step that marks my intent to school this quarter. Every step counts when every step is a monumental effort.

After registration, I'll still have to get my books, but then hopefully I'll be able to stay away from campus for the rest of the quarter.


The Bad: There's a party coming up that I've declined going to; it'll be crowded, loud, chaotic and out of my price range. In response to my rsvp, a joke was made about all the fantastic loud things I'm missing out on: waterfalls, babies, and fireworks, specifically.

It was a joke, meant lightly. I didn't take it that way. I hear a lot of these types of jokes, and I'm really losing my sense of humor over here. In response, I sent a message explaining that it had hurt me, and why. For perspective, I asked if it would be funny to tell a person in a wheelchair all the fantastic walking-related activities they're missing out on. I know the answer to this one, and it is NO, IT WOULD NOT BE OK.

Fortunately, the perpetrator of the unfunny joke seemed to know the answer as well and responded with an apology. I thanked him for his understanding, though I doubt I really had it. Not his fault, disability is something many people can't understand without first-hand experience. Though this was a crappy interaction (I despise confrontation, and explaining ableism to a healthy person so rarely goes well), I was proud that I stood up for myself and didn't just let it go. Score one for me.


And, The Totally Kickass: I don't use tumblr myself, but I've been following a fantastic cleaning blog, Unfuck Your Habitat, and the daily motivation has been really great for helping me stay on top of my house cleanliness. It starts with making the bed, every day, no excuses. I've been doing it, too, every single dingle day that I don't stay in the bed, that bed gets MADE. And then straightening up the rest of the house is easier, doing the dishes isn't quite as daunting, and cleaning the kitchen might actually be within my grasp!! My house... doesn't look like a clutter-bomb went off in it anymore, you guys. I seriously heart Unfuck Your Habitat.

2 comments:

Migrainista said...

So proud of you for speaking up. That can be so hard to do when faced with someone who doesn't get it.

Sue said...

Yes, very nicely done!