Message from the President
Greetings friend, and welcome to the September Comfort Connection!
Have you ever felt like physically you were not exactly right in some way? Maybe you walk with a limp. Maybe you shake uncontrollably. Maybe you have a mark somewhere noticeable like on your face, neck, arms, or legs. Maybe you really don’t like your latest hair colour or cut!! Maybe you wish you could lose 50 or 100 pounds. Too tall? Too short? Too thin? Just a little bit too something!!!!!
Do these "imperfections" make you feel self-conscious? Who defines our imperfections?
We are bombarded by billboards, commercials, social media, on TV, radio, computer, even our phones! Step outside, or stay in, these messages are telling us what we need to be or have to be normal and acceptable.
I have issues. I feel self-conscious. Every time I go outside, I need to wear not only my medical pressure gloves, but my sun protection gloves. It’s weird, not normal. Who wears two pairs of gloves in the summertime? I also wear a bandana around my neck to be sure I get no sun in that area. Burn scars from 10 months ago would be extremely damaged and greatly increase healing time with any sun exposure.
So how is it I feel more self-conscious in Canada than I do when I go to Grenada, where I spent the winter? My hair was soooo short this past winter as I waited for my front hairline to grow in and catch up with the rest. I was happy to be in Grenada for the worst of it all. Why? Because it's ok to be "weird" there. The standards are different. It is not uncommon to see people in Grenada with large growths on their neck, or other parts of their body. There is a one-handed shoe repair person with his shop set up on the street. There is the one-armed guy who hangs out at the hardware shop. We made friends with the door man with severe cerebral palsy at the ice cream shop even though we can’t really understand him. We saw a lot of people with six fingers and many other disfigurements.
More is expected in Canada. I feel like I need to explain myself. Everything in me screams, "I’m not weird!! I’m normal just like you! It’s just that... WAIT! Give me time to explain!!" If I feel like this because I am wearing gloves, how do people feel with an actual visible disability???
Our social norms entrap us. It affects how we see others, and how they see us. How do we change the message? More importantly, how do we show compassion to those who don’t fit into "our normal"?
