I have a dear friend who has severe arthritis, and this is particularly bad in her hands she is very independent and keeps on doing all her housework, gardening, baking and caring for her husband and friends.I greatly admire her and her qualities, but I’m reminded of how one needs to mourn the loss of facilities when we become disabled, and that sometimes this is the part that gets left out, I’ts as though we feel we are not allowed to grieve ,or we are so busy we just continue forcing ourselves on and on. I am also disabled as are my two sons so I’ve learn’t a lot about negative and positive responses to disability.
Have you ever been angry at being talked down to? I often wish I could dispose of all the wee’s I meet when out.
‘your wee hair’
‘you wee pet’
‘your wee face’
These are just a few but they make the ‘patronising point’.
When my eldest son had a leg amputated I forgot how tall he was until he stood up on his prosthesis for the first time Could it be that we unconsciously look down, and talk down to wheelchair bound persons?The thing is, that’s it we are still whole persons even though we are disabled!
Aristotle saw our hands as ‘tools for tools’ , and it is our hands which set us apart from all other creatures on earth, even more importantly we have ‘INTERNAL HANDS’ these hands become more available through disability they are images of strength, power, independence and resilience, if you have mourned the loss of your facilities spend a few moments today reflecting on your internal hands develop your resilience strength, power and independence.
STAND TALL!
REACH FOR THE INTERNAL HANDS!
Observe the disabled person and ‘WAIT’ until they asked for help!
aoibheann thoughtful reflections 