A Quality Day

Going..

When I woke up this morning at a quarter of six the temperature outside was 27°. Even though it is May 10th you have to expect the possibility of this kind of temperature when you live in northern New York. My nurse arrived around six and the day began. I was ready to roll a little after eight o’clock but was delayed because of a problem my nurse had loading my shotgun. Bundled up in camouflage, my wife and I finally headed out of the house. I’m fortunate to be able to hunt across the street on a large area of abandoned farm land. I motored down the driveway, across a field, down an abandoned road and drove into the field to the place where I was going to hunt. At the edge of the field I back into an area of small trees and brush. One must blend in with the surroundings because turkeys have excellent vision and can spot anything out of place. Marge helped me with some final adjustments, covered my head with camouflage netting and left. Fifteen or twenty minutes after she left intermittently I began calling the turkeys. Turkeys call back and forth to locate each other during the mating season. Although it was cold with a brisk wind, it was a beautiful sun shiny day. Back in the hedgerow there was little wind and it wasn’t long before I could feel the warm rays of sun on my face.

going...

After a while I became aware of a bird jumping around from branch to branch.  A minute or two later it landed on my shotgun barrel and stayed for about 30 seconds. It was Black-capped Chickadee. They are cute and entertaining little birds. I glanced at its feet gripping the barrel of the shotgun. How can anything be so delicate? Even though we can have brutal winters, Chickadees are year-round residents. After it flew off I called a couple more times. Slowly my eyes began to close and I nodded off in the warm sunshine. When I awoke again the grass in the field was bending in the wind, as were the trees and bushes directly across from me, every shade of green rocking in the wind. I heard the raucous call of a crow. It kept repeating and each time after it was done I listened intensely for a gobble that never came. Often in the early spring during the mating season male turkeys will gobble when crows are calling. Again I became aware of movement in the bushes around me. This time it was a pair of Wood Thrushes who were also involved with the spring mating ritual. They have one of the most beautiful calls of the early spring morning but these two had other things on their mind.

gone

Sitting in the warm sunshine calling, nodding and watching, the morning passed quickly. I soon heard my wife’s voice as she arrived to walk me home. The hunting time ends at noon each day and Marge insists on walking me back home. Tomorrow is another day. Oh, by the way, I didn’t see or hear any turkeys, but it was only noon and I had already had a quality day. At one point during my recovery I never thought I would enjoy a day like this again.

Christopher Reeve, Inspiration and Success

Did you know, CNN is doing a story on Parenting with Disabilities. I’m sure it’s very difficult for many of us to feel comfortable opening up and sharing ou stories. Although I found the switch to give me the passion to come forth and become some what of an exhibitionist , it’s not always easy. Well I also noticed while watching television , shows aren’t always delivering content involving issues, actors or athletes with disabilities. I wonder to myself sometimes since my disability I watch more television. I wonder if any of you experienced this as well and if so I asked myself, if television is mostly viewed by individuals with disabilities. If this theory is true then why aren’t we seeing ourselves or representations of our real aspiration on film and television.

Ratings are made up of human viewers, if no one is watching , industry is dropping. My comrade Larry the Rolling Filmmaker is a big advocate on putting more actors with disabilities working in Hollywood, I’m sure seeing this would give many more inspiration as well. The few friends I made that are aspiring to break down barriers as well as fulfill their dreams are continuing to pursue their passions. I’m not a famous actor, I didn’t grow up in Hollywood and I don’t have famous friends but I still see those who are struggling within their own careers. I didn’t truly become more of a name among my peers on my own. It took everyone I met on Care Cure Community to help me get to this point where I’m taking a stand on this movement for supporting each other.

It’s been my statement that Christopher Reeve is my inspiration, I learned more about spinal cord injury because of him. Not just learning about the research, politics and technology but collaborating and helping others. Although it’s very important we support each other for the things we need to live we also need to enjoy life. We are still human despite our disability but sometimes we feel detached from the world considered normal. I’m assuming we possibly make up a very large percentage of viewers when it comes to television ratings. I’m sure someone would enjoy researching this idea but I know the many friends I chat with online many are stuck at home. That’s no luxury like some may think. I had a few people say to me I live like a King having people cater to my needs. If being stuck in bed and can’t get up and having to wait for someone to wake up to help me eat is living like a King, someone please dethrone me.

Back to the topic about what we see on TV. I would like to finally see a network about disability, they can call it TDC The Disability Channel, not an unique name but something to get us relative television. I can be conceited saying this but that’s just another theory, I bet if Christopher was here we had a television show maybe a network by now. Christopher seemed to have the super powers to be forever Superman and he broke more barriers then most actors with disabilities for disability, not only for himself. I feel beyond whatever reason others may feel they can’t get ahead , many times when you use your talents or power for others you succeed a lot more. That was Christopher, no matter what ever anyone thinks, he didn’t use his power for self gratification he used his power to help all of us.

So finally what I’m trying to say, is we need to try to support bringing disability in the media. If there’s no ratings there’s no sponsors. CNN called me to be part in a promotion about Parents with Disabilities. The show has nothing to do with me but I will support, watch, blog, bulletin or send out a newsletter. No matter weather you are a disabled parent or not, post , watch, add a video of your support. The key to balancing all these TV shows we say are crap yet get the most air time is going to need the same attention. So please pass on this link and encourage others to if not get involved, read the synopsis.

http://www.facebook.com/l/9ed79;www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=432759&hpt=Sbin

Professir X

ROLLING PROUD by Andrew Levinson

Budget Cuts Threaten the Livelihood of All Nassau County Residents

April 12th, 2010. Sadly, it could be a day to remember.

On that date, Able-Ride, the MTA-administered paratransit bus service for disabled residents of suburban New York’s Nassau County, is set to basically disappear. People will lose their freedom to go to work, to see their doctor, to obtain an education, to engage in leisure activities, and to visit friends and family. This is personal for me, I might add, as I am talking about my neighbors who cannot drive or do not have access to a vehicle of their own, due to a disability or financial constraints. 

 The MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority in long form), which runs bus and train service for New Yorkers in the New York City metro region, is ending door-to-door parantransit service in the suburbs and is only keeping Able-Ride in existence as a connector to the fixed route bus line.  The MTA is citing large costs, as its weak excuse for the cuts.

There are those who would say that the MTA is experiencing budget crisis. They would ask why is it not the case that such people can effectively use their local fixed bus routes to stay employed and involved in their community? Firstly, fixed-routes simply do not exist in certain communities such as Syosset and Bayville, meaning that there would be no transit service at all for some county residents. Secondly, even if fixed-routes do exist, the passenger cannot live more than three-quarters of a mile away from the nearest bus route, in order to get transported to that route via Able-Ride. Lastly, even if someone is lucky enough to already be living within the appropriate radius to still have some Able-Ride service, inclement weather can be especially hazardous to the health of someone with a medical condition. 

All right, Andrew, I have a solution. Try your nearby subway. Subway use is not only a good logistical option, but it’s also environmentally-friendly.

Unfortunately, in Nassau County, there is no subway nearby. If only my neighbors had ended up in the suburbs of Washington, DC and not New York City…

After all, the Metrorail system exists in many areas outside of Washington,  it’s wheelchair accessible, and it protects against the elements outside with its underground location. Perhaps, this is why similar concerns among Washington-area policymakers, about the cost of paratransit, do not cause as much concern among local disability advocates. It’s not the end of the world in suburban Washington without paratransit service, and maybe it’s even for the best after all of the snow that piled up this winter.

I wonder what the MTA would think about extending subway service via new stops in the suburbs. Unfortunately, I think it’s safe to say that the discussion of any expensive ideas are for a later date. All I can say now is that Able-Ride is too essential to the well-being of all Nassau County residents to be cut, even in a budget crisis. Let’s remember that currently employed people would lose their jobs and everyone else could see further budget cuts due to a smaller tax base. In other words, this cut has broader-reaching effects than just those that concern Able-Ride passengers.

Going Where You Can’t Go

Years ago, shortly after my injury, I saw an episode of NYPD Blue where the police were questioning a former drug dealer who was confined to a wheelchair as the result of a drive-by shooting. They were threatening to put him in jail and he told the officers you can lock up my body but you can’t imprison my mind. I realized the relevancy of that statement to my situation. If we choose to accept that premise, then we empower ourselves to use the freedom that exists in our minds. I was involved in the martial arts for a number of years prior to my injury. The Grandmaster of the association used to say Karate was 90% mental and only 10% physical. There was a great deal of emphasis on the mind-body connection. It seems for some reason Western Civilization separates the mental and physical aspects of an individual. Eastern Cultures seem much more aware of the total being and much more inclined to deal with a person in a holistic way.

More professionals in this country are beginning to utilize Eastern techniques such as meditation, acupuncture and yoga in a holistic approach to better heath. Many Olympic caliber athletes are including imaging, also know as visualization, as part of their training. Thomas W. Morris, a motivational coach and president of Washington, D.C. based Morris Associates (www.morrisdc.com) writes in FOCUS “Visualize success. Want to achieve a certain goal? Take time to visualize yourself reaching that goal.” Why would we believe only athletes can benefit from these techniques?

Brian Mac is a Level 4 Performance Coach and Coach Tutor/Assessor with UK Athletics, the United Kingdom’s National Governing body for Track and Field Athletics. Brian writes on his website “They (the participants) should see themselves enjoying the activity and feeling satisfied with their performance. They should attempt to enter fully into the image with all their senses. Sight, hear, feel, touch, smell and perform, as they would like to perform in real life.” www.brianmac.co.uk/

You can use your mind to help you enjoy yourself. Oden Black’s latest steamy Blog on ThisAbled.com is a perfect example of this idea. If there are activities that you once enjoyed that you are unable to participate in now, try revisiting them again with mental imaging. While this may seem a little offbeat in the beginning, remember practice makes perfect. You can use your mind to free yourself of the constraints placed on you by your disability. To change a very common phrase just a little bit, “Your mind will set you free”. One imaging activity I enjoy is to put on my poncho and sit outside in the rain with my eyes closed. The sound of the raindrops on the nylon almost immediately takes me back to my wilderness trips when the rain would confine me to my tent or to waking in the middle of the night to the sound of the rain on my tent. Nestled in a warm sleeping bag, or in this case my poncho, listening to the rain brings on a feeling of serenity and that all is right in the world. I am treated to a “memory flood” of some of the best times of my life.

Letting the rain take me away

A rainy day on Grass Pond in 1989