Mood written in – reflective and calm .

I’ve been thinking about the words and phrases and things that I react adversely to.

Here they are – written with a smile btw.

1. ‘ Don’t hide behind your disability !’ ( from an able bodied person )

My reaction ? Is that it’s a cruel and condescending thing to say, and I’d do anything not to be disabled and not to have to ‘ use it’ at all.

2. ‘ It’s not a competition Russ!’ ( again said in reference to ‘ who is disadvantaged more ‘ – and from an able bodied person )

My impulse is to think  ‘ life is always a competition- like it or not – and if this is about who is worse off, out of you being normal and me being paralysed, then it’s probably me, you insensitive and condescending t*** ‘

3. ‘ Cheer up, there’s always someone worse off than you!’ ( from an able bodied person )

My reaction – well it’s not bloody you, is it, so shut the f*** up ‘

4. ‘ You’re lucky really… etc etc ‘ ( from a normal, able bodied person)

My reaction? ‘ Lucky?! How dare you say that. You’ve no fing idea how my life is ‘

5. Being shouted at

Wow, that one really gets me and best not done  That one goes back to childhood stuff, stuff which affects all of us, apparently, for better or for worse, though of course we only seem to ‘ dwell on’ the’ worse’ bit.

6. The ‘ Hi Russ, all good?’

Mmmm well that’s a fairly daft question, in the circumstances, isn’t it… but I am becoming ok with it, knowing it’s asked innocently. I’d still rather not be asked it though

7. The ‘ Ive been on my feet all day!’

Hmmmm poor you, I think, maybe rejoice in the fact that you can?

There are others, but I’ll add those later.

And-

Mood written in – happy

I realise that these reactions are all my own problems, and I can’t expect everyone to know, as I don’t know their sensitivities  either. Knowledge is power though…

Ive also just read that book- Men are from Mars, and Women are Completely Bonkers ( though the title looks different when you buy it )

My God, it’s an interesting read, and dare I say it definitely a book that everyone who is heterosexual should read, and probably all the rest too, assuming you have any contact at all with the opposite sex.

I’ve learned a lot! And it’s not that complicated either, surprisingly?! Far less complicated than life is not knowing the secret code to access the female brain. I think I may need to read it again, and regularly, to refresh my mind, so I may continue to navigate the highly dangerous waters of any inter-sex  contact.

Or I may move to Mars.