BLOG # 17: ISSUES OF GRATITUDE
As we adjust our lives into the flow of 2018, I am thinking about some goals that I wrote down in 2014 and wondering how I did on them, or on any year’s goals for that matter. I selected the goals for 2014 because I happened to pick up a neglected journal which contains exactly two entries. The goals are as follows:
Entry #1.
- Do more research about service dogs. Performance: Done (now all I need is a service dog….) 🐶
- Listen to music every day. Performance: Excellent! 🎹🎸
- Watch good movies. Performance: Very excellent!
- Find a way to hang out with good friends. Performance: Pretty good; maybe not perfect, but better than some past years.
- Write in my diary often. Performance: oops!.
- Read more books (I wish.) Performance: Needs improvement. 📚
- Work out regularly. Performance: Good!
- Help someone. Performance: Not sure. My friend Ben says I help people with good advice and sharing, but this goal needs more evaluation.
- Work with kids. Performance: Goal not met—though I really want to work with kids in some beneficial way.
Entry #2.
- Be sensitive to others. Performance: This goal needs more evaluation. I may not be so good at this. I get disappointed in people; I get annoyed; I even tell them off. 😡But I do care about my family and friends and think about how I can try to help them unless I feel I just can’t do any more for someone at the moment.
- Say I’m sorry. Performance: Improved (according to Mom.)
- Smile as much as possible. Performance: Valiant efforts made. 😁
- Be grateful…. 👍
Gratitude List.
❤️I am grateful for family and friends who are good listeners. Sometimes I call them with problems or asking for advice or just a good ear. Thank you to all those who take the time out of their busy days to return my calls or check on me and other people with disabilities who may not be able to solve some of their issues by themselves. Life can be scary and lonely for everyone, but can be more so for those who cannot speak or act for themselves.
❤️I am grateful for my parents who do so much for me. Many of my friends have no parents to advocate for them, and I worry for their safety and quality of life. I am grateful to all people in my life and those who volunteer to help those in need, such as the elderly, those who are sick, and my standby cause, those with disabilities. DO NOT ASSUME that someone is fine; they might not be fine. DO NOT assume that someone is taking care of them. Some parents do not know what to do, even if they love their kids; many professional agencies fall extremely short of doing an acceptable job due to issues of time and funding. PLEASE take the time to see if someone’s needs are being met if they have physical, neurological, or mental issues.
❤️As my mom and I passed by the police ticket cart this afternoon, I am thankful that we did not get a ticket today for parking in front of our own driveway as I got into the car. We still need to find a way to have that parking law revised so that transporters of handicapped people may use the cut curb of their driveway for a short time in order to get a disabled person safely into a vehicle. If taxis and buses have a license to do this, why not handicapped people and their drivers. Readers, we would be even more grateful if you could help us with this issue (please see Blog #15: The Spirit of the Law.)
❤️I am grateful for genius types of people who invent things to make the lives of others safer and easier. Thank you to the inventors of grab bars, Dyna boxes (hopefully someday the voices will sound more natural—like Alexa or Siri.) Thanks to inventors of apps that help people, such as Safe Trek, a safety app for all people, which may expedite the obtaining of emergency assistance if someone feels that they are being followed or that they are in danger (please access the attached video link.)
❤️Finally, I am grateful for all people who recognize and treat disabled individuals with respect, even if they are different, even if they do not appear as skilled or smart or verbal as many others. You may not even know what greatness lies within that person or how precious they are. All people have feelings. All people need friends who will call them and maybe hang out or go to a movie or a concert. All lives matter—more than you may know. PLEASE DO NOT leave them waiting for your call.
Thank you for reading, commenting and sharing www.issuesofthedisabled.com ❤️❤️❤️<3
I totally agree with you about treating people who are disabled with respect
Thank you, Lindsay!
Hi Jaime,
I am so happy to see your blog, and I am most grateful for you comments on gratitude. I know too many people who don’t know how to be grateful to others. People often do many things to help someone, but their help is never recognized. Sometimes they just say thank you because it is the appropriate response, but they don’t really feel grateful, or forget it very soon. It is difficult for ungrateful people to be happy, because they don’t see how much other people care for them. Ungrateful people only expect more and more. Then they are disappointed when the helper gets frustrated and just quits trying to help. The ungrateful person only sees what is not done for them, not realizing that their own lack of gratitude has pushed away the help. Sometimes it is hard to be grateful for the help we get from the people who love us most. We just get so used to that help, we take it for granted. I think it is important to write down the things that people do for us, so when we are feeling down, we can go back and remember how people have shown their love. Thanks for helping to get this message across.
I also wish that you could find a more visible place to post your blog. I think that it should be a month feature in a local newspaper or magazine. Perhaps if you send a few of your blogs to the editor of a community magazine, they might be willing to feature you in a regular column. What do you think?
Hi Marlene,
Sorry, somehow, I did not reply to your comment above. I agree that we all need to be more grateful. I am working on that. You have given me a good idea about finding a source of media that could give me a column. I could aim big and start with the Union Tribune and if I do not hear from them, check with KUSI and maybe get the names of some magazines that advocate for disabled people. Thank you so much for supporting my blog. I am working on another article right now. Wish we had more time to write.