Christmas past

The memory of Christmas, now 4 days old, is reduced to a warm comforting sense of a good time. After opening gifts and enjoying a cuppa and toast we prepared for a late lunch. We had a real feast. Gathered around the kitchen table in a comfortable squeeze we laughed and joked whilst drinking champagne and munching through a smoked salmon starter. Alan and Debbie made the numbers up to 7. The turkey was more than a match for our appetites and seemed hardly changed after we had done our best. We finished off with the traditional pud.

Christmas time spent with family and friends is special and apart from the occasional argument about the contents of a cracker or the whereabouts of some Christmas trinket; there was little negativity to dampen the mood. Instead light banter and laughter, seasoned with smiling eyes was the main course.

If you are following on from my last post; you will remember I was due to present the Open Roads charity to a county council member. It went well and I will aim to repeat the presentation at the council offices to a broader audience.

Christmas tipple

A neatly decorated Christmas tree, alongside the fireplace, and few presents scattered underneath are testament to the approach of Christmas day. I have little to say about the season, except to wish all a love filled time of giving.

The past year has been tumultuous. A year of dramatic developments and some poorly timed health problems. When I was newly injured I was told it would get easier each day. This is not the case. I know life is not meant to be easy. Any brief look at nature will show you how every part of nature has to toil and struggle against the being crushed. Why should we be different? Being a struggle does not preclude beauty and enjoyment. So enjoy every beautiful moment and remember struggle produces character.

These are not the sagacious words of a philosopher, although I been known for philosophical outbursts, instead I count them as hard won learning from the last 6 years of living with paralysis. You will have your own experience and your own lessons.

This year I have been involved in much. The most notable being the launch of a training company called Aide de Vie and a charity called Open Roads. On Monday I be presenting a short presentation on the goals and aims of Open Roads as we compete to win the opportunity to complete our main aim, to develop and run a centre that will meet the needs of people struggling with a physical or mental disability.

We represent a new approach to viewing "disability". Not as as an inability but a different ability. The label "disabled" is no different the apartheid description of people as "non-white". Aside from the the negative implications of the word, it can't be right to describe someone by reference to what they are not! Otherwise women would be non-male and children non-adults. We (society) need to rethink our use of the language before it inadvertently shapes our world. The following posters are examples of the paradigm shift we are going to promote.

So raise your glasses to Open Roads this Christmas and celebrate our different abilities.