During my lifetime, I have had many supports. Among them, first and foremost is my Lord and
Saviour, Jesus Christ. His strength,
love and wisdom give me inner peace and enable me to view each day with fresh
hope and enthusiasm. Secondly, the love
and encouragement of my family provides me with stability, guidance and
security. They are always there to help
me work through issues that have surfaced in my life. Thirdly, my friends support me with love,
respect and always know how to make me laugh even when I am down. They know the essence of having fun and a
good time to release the stresses of the day.
Honestly, I cannot fathom life without these support
systems. Without these systems in my
life, it would lack zeal and passion.
The thought of not having my family saddens my heart and brings me to
the point of tears. My family and I have
always been there for each other, whether it be financially, emotionally,
physically. We have each others' back
through thick and thin. I would probably
be able to live with my friends as I also share social fun time with my family. However, at times I need guidance from a
different perspective than that of my family and my friends are always
there. I can speak to them about
anything; professional, personal and they would give honest advice. Without my friends this support would be
gone. Simply speaking, without my
support systems my life would be bleak, full of depression and anxiety.
I suffer with back pains and the scenario I imagined is
being disabled and having to use a wheelchair for mobility. I believe that I would require a brace to
support my aching back as well as a therapist.
I would require assistive devices that would enable me to carry out
daily functions as using the bathroom, moving around the house, taking a
shower. I would also require respect, understanding,
patience, empathy from individuals in the community. I would also require special services in the
community such as better access to ATM machines and parking areas. Having these supports would allow me to feel
competent, a sense of belonging, acceptance and purpose. This would enable me to view myself as a
whole person and being part of a community rather than having feelings of
isolation. Without these supports my
life would be insufficient as it would lack joy, be full of frustration and
despair as I would be unable to meet my basic needs and life a fulfilling life.
Great post.I agree I would have a bleak existence without family. You had great ideas for supports to mobility. This exercise really makes take count of my blessings of health.
ReplyDeleteZephirina,
ReplyDeleteThe passion, love, and commitment you feel for your family and friends is very heart-warming. It is wonderful to hear the adoration you have for each of them. It is very evident that you have very strong support systems in place, which certainly seem to have been instrumental in supporting you in becoming the person you are today. As I read your "challenge", I too imagined what my life would be like if I were to have a significant physical disability, and I have to say that it is a very frightening thought. I think this assignment has given us the opportunity to take time to pause and reflect on what we have, as well as what our lives would be like from a different perspective. I think this was a good exercise to help us remember to try to see the world from many different perspectives, which allows us to empathize with the many people we will encounter in our personal, as well as our professional lives.
Zephirina,
ReplyDeleteI too have a wonderful family that provides me with the support I need as well as the support that my children need. I know how you feel when you think of your family as not being there. Without my family things would be very different, not only would the hard times be harder but the good times wouldn't be as good. I hope you find some relief from your back pain.