How others view me
after a prolonged absence
startles them and me.
New normals ease in,
sometimes subtle sometimes not,
their strangeness lessened.
Struggle now the rule,
I forget what normal was.
Others remind me.
It’s a Screwed Up World
3 hours ago
4 comments:
Hi - I feel really awkward when I k ow I will see someone that has not seen me in a while and I look/act/walk differently than the last time they saw me. I feel like I have to put on a show of walking and balancing and acting normal - I hate how I feel and act in such situations. I really do.
Love to you
Gail peace....
Yesterday, during my visit to my mother, I ran into (figuratively) a former student and his mother, there to visit a relative. The shock didn't register at first -- I was just sitting. Then they saw me as I am now --wobbling, unbalanced, one-handed -- and they had to struggle to disguise their surprise. I think I felt bad for them, but probably worse for me since there's really nothing I can do about it.
Peace,
Muff
I really dislike being seen by anyone from my "past". It's not so bad if they know about "it", but if they don't, the reactions and questions are difficult for all parties.
Gail, Muff, and Karen,
We all seem to be in agreement about the revelation. It is highly ironic that we suffer not only our diminished capacity but also how others perceive that diminished capacity. In my case, it's a bit of a nail in the coffin of the self image I held before I became visibly disabled. I don't want to let go of that self image entirely because it opens internal doors mentally but it is time to acknowledge what is undeniable -- I am disabled.
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