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The Postcard Project and what do YOU do?

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Elizabeth McClung | 05:26 UK time, Thursday, 17 July 2008

Summer is here which means either many are out and about, or for some of us in disability land, we are still indoors wondering why the walls seem to be melting (so...the usual!). The internet and the disability world (whether you are a disabled person or a person with a disability) have taught me that not only are the presentations of the "same" disability different, but so are the ways people deal with them.

For me, the constant problem is MEANING. No, I don't mean I need my disability to mean anything; anytime I get that angst riddled I drink something with sugar in it so my attention span wanders. What I do need however, in a city where the terms "accommodation in the workplace" and "part time employment" are both viewed as a precursor to the dread soviet brain washing, is something to DO. And I find this is common with people who spend time at home (whether they want to or not).

Since my condition makes me so heat intolerant that I go into heat stroke at room temperature, summer is stay inside time. Add some fatigue, a bit of brain fog, and I have a craving need for some way to know that I exist. Plus, while I can do endnotes in the Harvard OR Cambridge style, I can't knit; I can't sew, and I can't play the bagpipes.

So I write and I send postcards. People like takes photos, writes, many people like do parenting (I have heard once babies come OUT, it is harder to put them away again). Some people take degrees or courses like , and yes, some knit (what does it say about Canada that won overall Canadian blog of the year?). One person I know plays the organ, but no bagpipes as yet.

So what do you do; what gives that juice of meaning to your life? I am honestly curious because I am pleasantly surprised at the diversity from wheelchair dancing to , from blogging to scrapbooking. And I am always up for a new idea.

For me, my thing right now is to send out 997 postcards (address' collected for postcard use only!), which I have given the grand title of . It basically means you email me, and I send you a postcard. You can click the link above or the link to my blog Screw Bronze and then click the link down on the right to find out more. I am up past 200 postcards now, and it seems to be keeping me out of police stations (an actual problem I was having before with too much....mental time on my hands). Postcards are an attainable goal, I use a special pen and my shoulder to write and I get to wheel to the post box. Remember that feeling as kids looking into the dark of the postbox and wondering where it goes? I get that now. And the neighbors like it a WHOLE lot more than the bagpipes.

So that is what I do. What is it that you do? Believe me, after post cards, anything sounds pretty grand. So what is it that gives the little joy to get through those periods when everyone else seems busy or away?

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Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    I do BookCrossing. You register a book on BookCrossing.com so that it gets a unique number, then you make a note on the website to say what you thought about it and what you're going to do with it. Then you leave the book somewhere and wait to see where it travels. Some people do more organised bookrings, too, and there are local groups all over the place who meet up for social time, coffee (or perhaps booze) and book-swapping.

  • Comment number 2.

    I'm a very social person, so most of my activities are based around that as a first-principle.

    I knit. I only taught myself to knit so that I could join a knitting group, after my illness made it clear that socialising by joining a football team wasn't really on the cards. It was easier to learn than I thought it would be.

    I spend a lot of time online. I blog, and have lots of other people's blogs that I keep track of, which makes me feel like part of a community.

    I have made it as clear as I can to my real-life friends and family that, generally speaking, I *want* to come along to stuff. It doesn't matter that I can't participate in every bit. I'd rather watch other people do stuff than watch four walls by myself. I'd rather excuse myself for an hour halfway through and nap in the car, than miss the party altogether. For the most part, they get it.

    I also, don't laugh, but I love playing The Sims 2. I like being able to make their lives run smoothly, make them happy, that sort of thing. It's probably some kind of terrible God complex but at least I'm benevolent.

  • Comment number 3.

    Ykoriana: My friend does BookCrossing as well, I got her to explain it to me, and it sounds like a good project. However she did say NOT to try and leave one in an international airport as the Security was all over her when she tried to leave it behind.

    You are inspiring me to join a book group since I never thought of that but it is a good way to socialize nearby.

    Batsgirl: Yes, I am social too which is why I find the summer to be a LOOONNNGG stretch of withdrawl.

    Ahha - knit to join a knitting group, I see the method, brilliant!

    I am glad your friends and family are learning to accommodate and actually bring you along, did you have to use shock treatment with them as I have yet to train mine?

    I don't laugh, I used to play Sims 2 a lot, until I realized that the Sims had WAY better lives than I did. But I am glad you are a kind and friend Sim diety.

  • Comment number 4.

    Well, the other option of having a baby in order to join a mums and toddlers group seemed a tad drastic.

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