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[loonaginga]

You are beautiful.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your cane.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your wheelchair.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your braces.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your visual aids.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your surgical scars.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your chemo ports.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your hair loss.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your wig.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your tooth loss.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your jaundice.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your weight loss.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your weight gain.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your ostomy bag.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your incontinence items.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your bruises.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your amputation.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your dietary restrictions.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your muteness.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your dysphasia.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your memory loss.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your arthritis.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your anxiety.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your depression.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your panic attacks.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your anxiety attacks.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your intrusive thoughts.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your compulsions.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your excoriation scars.

You are NOT less beautiful because of your chronic illness or disability.

You are NOT less beautiful.

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Standing Up From My Wheelchair in Public

I often bring up the ableist action of harassing/accusing ambulatory wheelchair users (as well as scooter, walker, crutches, and cane users) of “faking” because it’s something that happens ALL the time under the guise of “allyship” that people seem to WANT to remain oblivious to.

A person standing up from a wheelchair or standing without their mobility aid SHOULD NOT be cause for alarm, should not inspire accusations of faking, should not inspire you to say, “it’s a miracle!” in a mocking tone, or to ask me if I should “really be parked here”, or recommendations of weight loss so I won’t “need that chair anymore”, or whispering about how my karma is coming or how I’m going to hell for “playing with a wheelchair”; all comments I’ve received from strangers for just standing in public, getting my chair out of the trunk of my car on my own, or doing something as minimal as riding my chair while being young and smiling.

It’s prejudice; it lacks understanding to how diverse disability is, it uses a singular representation of wheelchair users to judge all wheelchair users. When people are called out on that ableism, those who do it will become defensive and claim to be acting in defense of disabled people because they truly deeply believe in the myth of a “faking disability epidemic", but hear this: non-apparent disabilities/invisible disablities, etc. are REAL disabilities and you are harassing the very people you are claiming to be advocating for.

For me, it is physically very difficult, painful, and risky to walk in the first place, the moments when I am able to, it takes alot of energy and concentration. Emotionally, it takes courage for me to get up from my chair in public; doing so causes anxiety that is parallel to what I would feel as a woman walking alone in the street at night. It’s a situation where I have come to EXPECT harassment and that is not okay. This is not how it should be, getting out of my chair in public should not have to feel like a radical act.

A person who gets up from their wheelchair might have limited ability to walk because they are rehabilitating, have dysautonomia, lung issues, heart issues, chronic pain, hypermobility, fragility of joints or muscles, fatigue, there are so many reasons for being an ambulatory wheelchair user and they come in all ages, sizes, colors, there is no one way, no one look.

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I think a great analogy for not using a mobility aid at home while you need it going out in public is me and my glasses.

My eyesight is horrible. Like, can’t make out words that are a foot away from me bad. If i put my hand in front of my face, it’s blurry. So obviously I need my glasses in public. I need them to drive, to see what’s on the shelves in stores, to not run into people on the sidewalk, and many other things.

But the thing is, I don’t always wear my glasses at home. I know where things are and I know the layout of my house so I can rely completely on muscle memory and get what I need while at home.

That’s how it is with my mobility aids. While out and about, I need them for balance, pain management, to be able to walk/roll long distances, and to get pressure away from my legs and into something else. At home though, I know I can just take a break in the middle of the hallway. I can take the pain medication that makes me drowsy that I can’t take out in public because I’ll be too sluggish, but I can take it at home because I can give myself space to be sluggish.

The argument of “well you don’t need it at home” ignores the importance of different situations needing different accommodations. I just think comparing it to glasses is a comparison that abled people can understand.

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as a society we should treat disability as if any one of us can and will become disabled at any point in time in the future

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@ all hypermobile people reading this rn

DONT DO PARTY TRICKS UNLESS YOURE IN A DOCORS OFFICE!!

youre going to stress the joint! whether you sublux or dislocate it, or you just weaken it slightly for the next week! i know that especially if youre undiagnosed, you may feel the pressure to constantly prove youre ill- DONT. if people dont believe you, its still not worth damaging your already damaged cartilage even more!

you could contribute to future arthritis, make the joint even more unstable, etc. DONT DO PARTY TRICKS. its part of self care as a hypermobile person. you deserve to  preserve your joints for as long as you can.

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Let’s have more inconveniently weird characters in 2019

I want more characters who’s quirks haven’t been romanticized a gazillion times.

Oh shyboy#42728 sits alone at lunch with his sketch book? He’s a brilliant artist but he doesn’t talk to anyone? What a weirdo.

Imnotliketheothergirls#123567889 has a passion for reading unlike every other girl in her school?

Nah man. Let’s spice things up, i want more neurodivergent characters with wack (but healthy) coping methods. let’s normalize and romantisize the fact that some people are weird and this is not a bad thing.

I’m talking about that boy who talks to people he’s made up when he’s upset. He introduces each of them to the girl he likes and she thinks it’s cute.

There’s a girl that counts her steps and once she reaches 22 she can breath again. Her girlfriend walks with her.

They know ASL and sign the first letter of people’s words to deal with nerves. Their partner now knows how to sign their name.

When he thinks he might cry he looks for something blue to hold and/or chew on. His boyfriend gives him blue chew necklaces and they learned how to make blue food together.

It’s 2019 and being weird is not a negative trait, and all you funky kids deserve to feel loved because of it.

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You are what perfect means to me 💖😘🐙🐝😍💏🍍😋

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“Wait, that’s not normal?” will be chiseled into my headstone.

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Disabled people who can walk short distances should not have to fear parking in a disabled space and walking into a store. 

 Disabled people in wheelchairs should not have to fear moving their legs or briefly standing up. 

 Disabled people should not have to fear using a cane on their bad days.

Disabled people shouldn’t have to feel weary about having too much fun and being seen enjoying themselves.

 Disabled people shouldn’t have to live in fear of getting attacked, getting called a fake and even getting reported for benefit fraud just because they don’t fit the ableist profile of what you think a disabled person looks like and acts like.

Disabled people deserve to be able to safely leave the house and live our lives without fear and judgment.

[loonaginga]

The struggle of brainfog

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Can you give me tips and activities to get closer to God?

Oh boy, I’m certain everybody and their mama has asked this question and there’s a lot of answers floating around the internet hahahaClassic Bible story of being closer/coming back to God is in Luke 15:11-24, definitely read it!

1. Meet with God before anyone elseAs soon as you wake up, pray and thank God for today or read a devotion. Anything, just make Him first in your day.

2. Get into the Bible every day / Do a Bible studyIf you want to know God better there’s no better way then to read the Bible!You can do Book studies, Topical studies, Character studies, Saturation study (where you think about one piece of scripture over and over in your mind) or Word studies (when you take a specific word in the Bible and discover every single way that it is used throughout the Old and/or New Testaments.)

3. Have a prayer journal / Prayer wallWrite out your prayer requests and record the answers as they come. By writing out these types of things, you will not only be more keenly aware of how God is working in and around your life, but you will become a person who is able to give thanks in all circumstances. And during hard times you’ll be able to remember where God has worked in your life.

4. Get your eyes off yourselfWhen we are focused on our own self—our problems, our issues, our worries, our fears—we forget to look at God. We need to keep the eyes of our heart on God. His abundance. His presence. ame His attributes and look up verses that remind us of who He is. Speak them aloud. Write them down. Declare their truth over yourself, etc. (Psalm 91:1-4) 

5. Repent regularly / Self-examine yourself regularly Ask Him to show you how your heart is struggling. Be specific. Don’t hold back. God loves us the way we are but He loves us too much to stay that way, He wants to be more like Jesus.“Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.“ - 2 Corinthians 13:5 (MSG)

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” - Psalm 139: 23-24

6. Listen to worship musicWhen we are stuck—when our mind knows that God is close, but our heart struggles to believe it and move toward Him, it can help to listen to music that opens up our heart to Him. I have a link to my Spotify on my blog with playlists for different occasions which I find to really help.They are songs that help my heart be receptive to the Holy Spirit.

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I am obsessed with these baby apple trees 🌱😱😍 they are sooo tiny !! 💖😭😍 Watching them grow day after day is amazing and sooo humbling. They are so fragile and defenseless. I had to change their cotton pad thingy because they were being attacked by fungi. 😫😮 They can't survive without me... and neither can I without God. He is my protector and my Savior. He feeds me, clothes me and takes care of me every single day. 1Corinthians 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. Amen !! 😄😍💖🙏 . . . . Christians have the super-power to turn every random post into a mini sermon/bible study 😂 #jesusfreak #plants #appletree #gardening #silencecapousse #god #christian #creationofgod

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this user wears braces 

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this user has hypermobility syndrome

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*shifts position slightly* 

*sickening crunch in 4 different body parts*

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The whole Armor of God 👑 Ephesians 6:10-20