The Loudmouth Mooch

A House of Windows --> Today, I finally came to the acceptance that I’m back in my pattern of hiding from the world. The more and more I do this, the more and more I realize that I’m like a cat or maybe even a turtle. I have to hide to escape from a world that for some reason, I feel like I can’t handle right now. These wounds to my body, my heart, I have to lick them clean. It’s like everything just piles up, and just getting out of bed in the morning is a feat. Let alone, getting out of bed to make coffee. Or responding to a text message. Or trying to focus on reading a book. For some reason, I can’t do any of these things lately and I’m just not sure why. I have so many things that I want to do in the world. People I want to meet. Places I want to see. Nobel Peace Prizes to win. But then, the shackle that binds me to a room made of only windows reminds me that something is holding me back. Every now and then, I’m able to shatter that glass and walk through...

There's no guidebook to having a disability.  I guess you could say that about having any minority-determining or stress-inducing factor you deal with. But for now, I have the urge to reflect on what it means to create your very own guidebook for your life. After years of going to school while working part-time jobs, then moving to the workforce when I graduated from LSU, and then the constant go-go-go lifestyle that America is so known for, my body just shut down thanks to my disability. For seven months of being on short-term disability, I sat in my house and wondered if I'd ever recover from this bad spell of fatigue and soreness. Those seven months were some of the more trying moments in my life. Between determining if I could work again, if I wasn't letting down the organization I was working for, feeling like a huge burden to the loved ones around me, wondering if I could take an impromptu nine hour trip to Tampa in the middle of the night while on STD (spoiler...

After reading such a clickbait title, I need to stress something: I was not harmed in the fall so don't worry. With that out of the way, I reiterate,   I fell in the shower today. As my falls normally go, they happen completely unexpectedly. I'll turn a certain way, pivot on my knee in just the right spot, or I stomp my foot down with a little too much force   when I'm walking and then suddenly, I'm on the floor. Thankfully, I've learned to "princess fall" where I instinctually catch myself in a squat or lay out my hands in a coordinated manner. Despite my self-proclaimed grace, every time I always have a split second of panic. This time was a little different. I caught myself in a squat, but the hot water streaming down my shampooed head was unrelenting and frightening. The idea of trying to use every ounce of my will to stand myself up on the slippery tub floor was daunting. For about five minutes, I kept wondering, should I chance trying to stan...

I ran a half-marathon... Yes, you heard me...I ran a half-marathon. Actually, that's a little bit of a lie. I didn't just run a half-marathon, I BEASTED it and it was all thanks to Ainsley's Angels. What is Ainsley's Angels you might ask? It's a non-profit organization dedicated to inclusion! Their mission states: " In addition to ensuring everyone can experience endurance events, Ainsley's Angels of America aims to build awareness about America's special needs community through inclusion in all aspects of life. Serving as advocates to providing education and participating as active members in local communities, we believe everyone deserves to be included."  My take on that mission is that they want to change lives so that we can all embrace aspects of life together. Their mantra, "Together We Shall," is a testament to how they really live that undertaking. Let me tell you how I experienced it. Let me take you through my shoes, o...