Monday Music - The One and Only

This is The One and Only by Chesney Hawkes.  It's cheesy as but it's also my all time favourite song. If ever we go out and I ask for a request or someone asks for one for me, this is what gets chosen.

On Saturday I was talking to someone about being disabled.  She commented that there aren't many people like me and made an offhand comment about how I should write an article  for a local ish newsletter thing about it. I think it was my specific comment that I would turn down a cure which made her say that.

I think it was probably intended as a compliment and it mostly was.  But it was also one of those things where you just know that more than likely this is a person who doesn't have much experience of disability as a positive thing - crip culture if you will - and it's the whole "inspirational" thing.   I could be very wrong here but it's my assumption.

Which means it is a compliment and I do take it as such.  However it's also not because I'm not doing anything special. Being disabled, having CP, using the chair, whichever term you want to use to describe my situation - they are my normal.  I have never known and will never know any different.  I'm not being amazing and inspirational because I have CP and I'm living, I'm just living my life the only way I know how and the only way I will ever be able to.

If someone wants to tell me that there aren't many people like me and mean my disability and my attitude to it then they are trying to pay me  a compliment.  I'll take that compliment but truly it's one I'd rather not receive. If they want to say the same things about me because I'm a blogger or a writer or a sailor or a knitter or because I'm a CAB adviser, rota person and member of the social policy team and also do resident involvement for my housing then FINE. That's the sort of compliment I would love to receive. Because it's about me and who I actually am, not what I am.

But my main thought when she said there aren't many people like me? "I should bloody well hope not!!" I like who I am, I'm proud of it. And I like being unique - The One and Only.