Feeling like a Red Balloon

Recently, I heard a joke about a red balloon and I thought it would be the perfect analogy to why I haven't blogged for 5 months. Like an old red balloon; I've felt let down, deflated a tad more wrinkled than I did last Summer. 

I've been very conscious that I didn't want to be/ or no longer be "social media martyr". I see competitive status' like "I've only had one/two/three hours sleep" or those who use their twitter feed to give us an hourly pain update, rated 1-10.  Worst of all, those who simply change their status to "I'm so happy/angry/sad" and when asked why, they refuse to answer - why put up a post that you're not willing to elaborate on to a SOCIAL MEDIA platform?

I fess up, I have done some of the above but after watching rather than posting online, I've seen how irritating and depressing it becomes for those reading. Don't get me wrong, we all need a moan or a venting session, it's nice to know there are others in the same situation or those giving you great advice, but do we need to post one the hour of every hour?

The last 8 years of my life have been dominated by 4 court cases (which by the way, I was not the criminal in any way, but I was the one mopping up the aftermath!) including family, criminal and Will & probate cases. It might have been easier to take a law degree! I've neglected my own goals, charity work and not to mention my family and friends. If I posted every time I was in pain, stressed, panicked I would have zero friends or followers!

All the events been exhausting and a few months back I decided to have hypnotherapy, it works very well on me from previous experience, and this time it really helped. So a long story short, the hypnotherapy worked and the cure was realising that I have forgotten to be optimistic, happy and grateful.

So how do you see the positive's in trauma? Well, I have gone back to seeing the bright side; what can I learn from all the cases? In my newly refreshed brain, I see that it has all been life experience; I will make sure I correctly file my Will and last testament, I will follow my instincts rather than fobbing off my opinions. I now know who my really friends are and I've learnt who only befriended me for their own gain and my useful resources - physical, mental or material. 

If nothing else, my memoirs will be an interesting read - split into several volumes!

Bear with me guys!

L xxx

Push Girls

Starting my mission to gain 2,500 readers before my 2 year blogging anniversary I thought I’d look for other disability blogs.... I had some trouble find any that weren’t depressing or abandoned.

I came across Tiffany Carlson who writes a disability blog, Beauty Ability about fashion, dating and general disability issues. Her column on New Mobility.com is witty, honest and funny.

Amongst her articles I saw one called Push Girls Review of Episode 1. Push Girls is a reality TV show that aired in the US earlier this month. It follows four women living in L.A who’s motto is “When you can’t stand up, stand out”. Yup us wheelies have a reality show of our own but with fun and substance.

Push Girls - Image Borrowed from BWTV

These reality “stars” aren’t paid to get drunk, sleep around and glue diamonds to their nether regions, they want to show the world you can be fabulous, sexy, fun, dance, love AND be in a wheelchair.

I’m pretty much at ease with my disability, 18 years after I planted my butt upon my first heavy, clonking NHS tank of a wheelchair it can still suck and get I can still, on the odd occasion, get down about it, but a majority of the time I’m upbeat, optimistic and whizzing around in Flossie (wheelchair) or the GoGo (Scooter), but growing up I was lost and very much in need of other disabled role (roll! Hehe!) models.

Young disabled people need these kind of shows to high light that you can have a life, not half hearted attempts at disability in soap operas when they employ awful actors or cut their story lines when they either get criticism or find the story lines too hard to handle and the character moves away or more depressingly – dies!

Push Girls is a positive spin (I’m full of puns today!) on disability, life and ability to live it to its fullest. I’m just hoping they’ll air the series in the UK or better yet make one here!

L x