it’s more than label, it’s a history of 22 years finding a place in a world that wasn’t designed for me. It’s the joy of being true to myself, even when it seems like it’s the hardest thing to do. It’s the kid wearing a fake moustache and a wrestling belt trying to make friends in a campsite, it’s a crooked spine and aching hips, it’s the wheelchair I used in high school covered in stickers and screaming to be seen, it’s the long nights when pain seems to be so alive in my body, it’s my scars and the stories I created for them; motorcycle accidents, heroic sporting injuries, and shark bites… all far more interesting than the reality of a Dr trying to bring ‘normality’ to a body that didn’t even feel like it was mine anymore. It’s taking ownership of that body and making a home all of its nooks and crannies. It's frustration and love and unpredictability. It’s a nervous system; noisy and tense. It’s creating a habit of listening whilst writing my own rules. It’s the story of my life. So you can't see my person hood without it, because I can’t overcome it and I’m nothing in spite of it. It’s there in all of the questions, most of all my own, and It’s always going to be there, in my swagger, in my asymmetry, and in my desire to seen, for everything that I am.
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Thanks to instagram.com/crutches_and_spice for creating this wonderful hashtag and @sitting_pretty for inspiring to put these thoughts into words <3
Hey,
How do you deal with people asking for more than your body can give or getting frustrated at you for not following conventional norms? Im in marching band (color-guard) and i need to sit often so i can stay on my feet longer and i've had people get frustrated with that, despite knowing i have issues with my feet. -Aeris (they/them)