Do you ever just think about what a massive impact you’ve had on the world? Think of everything that wouldn’t be in the world if it weren’t for you. Your childhood drawings that are still probably still kept hidden in your parents bedside drawer, the beaded bracelets you used to make at Brownies, the countless Christmas decorations and crafts you used to make in school. Think of all the words you’ve put down; the hundreds of thousands of words you’ve spilled your imagination out in, all the school essays and revision notes and lists. All the notes you’ve scribbled to your friends in class, every thank you letter and birthday card you’ve ever written, signed with your very own unique signature. Think of all the hundreds of thousands smiles and laughs you’ve produced in your life. If it hadn’t been for you, the world would be down at least one thousand smiles. All the doodles that have found their way into the recycling bin, all the post-it notes with scribbled messages to your loved ones, all the chalk drawings on the garden path you drew as a child. The meals you’ve cooked, the recipes you just made up as you went along, the cupcakes you baked for all the bake sales. So the next time you feel insignificant, think of it like this- you’ve filled up the world with traces and pieces of yourself hidden in every corner. How can you be insignificant when so much is here just because of you?
I’ve not been able to stop crying for two hours, but it is tears of joy. I’ve waited so many years to see this news. 23 years I’ve waited. I cannot begin to describe what this means to the Huntington’s community.
One day I’ll write about what it’s like to grow up knowing you might have a terminal, incurable illness, and not be allowed to test yourself because “it’s such a serious decision” they don’t want it hanging over you until you’re an adult (as if it doesn’t hang over you as you witness a parent die, and know you’ve got 50% chance of inheriting the same illness–as do your siblings). One day, I will talk about how, in the fear of traumatising children with the knowledge they might be incurably, terminally ill, they also took away their right to decide over their bodies to a degree that is traumatising. One day.
But today I am going to cry. Because it’s over. Because no child will ever have to go through the same uncertainty, because at least they will know there is a treatment option available. A treatment option that one of my siblings might come to rely on. With all the shit things happening around us, my childhood hope and dream have been realised. That’s got to count for something.
When i was a teachers assistant(first grade), i would add extra points for doodles and drawings when i was grading papers. Obviously, these points didnt go in the grade book. I called them Miss Rachel points. But the kids loved it and started doing more complex drawings on the back of their homework to get more points. I had a parent tell me that her daughter got excited to finish her homework so she could do a new drawing for me, so teachers, of literally any grade, give the drawings some acknowledgment. Its a creative outlet that may motivate your students to do their homework but more importantly, it could be someone’s escape and you just writing “nice panda” next to their drawing will make them feel so special.
We did a big schoolwide diagnostic test last month and this kid drew such an ambivalent stick figure that I had to try cheering it up a little.
Little boy standing in the stroller just looked around the crowded coffee shop, pointed at me and asked his mom “What’s HIS name” and his mom said “I don’t know!” and he asked me “What’s YOUR name” and I called back “I’m Al” across the whole coffee shop and he went “HI AL!”
As we were leaving like three people called out “Bye Al!” I’ve decided I love humanity.
I hate Justin McElroy for validating my lifelong fear of invisible ocean creatures in my pool with the ‘glass shark’ bit, because now every time I am in ANY body of water I have to act like I’m not afraid of Glass Shark so it can’t smell my very real fear
Don’t worry @wizard-legs all the glass sharks I have met are lithovores meaning they eat minerals and other inorganic creatures like crystal crabs. Think about it, they’re silicon based lifeforms and you’re presumably carbon based, therefore you likely hold as much nutritional value to them as a pile of sand does to you.
@fluffylandshark this is the most comforting response to this post by a LAND slide- I think you’ve cured me??? I’m going to be reminding myself that glass shark really does think I’m a friend (or a pile of sand) not food, for the rest of my life
I learned today (via a post on Reddit) that if you ever need to travel to Great Ormond Street children’s hospital any London cab driver will take you there for free.
is the world really such a terrible place? yesterday i asked if oat milk was extra and the barista said yes so i said ok just regular milk then and when she gave me my chai latte she whispered “i used oat milk ;)” doesnt that make u want to live another day?
here is my life philosophy: next week there might be someone ahead of you in line at the store who’s short a quarter and you have a quarter and you can give it to them. if you weren’t there, they’d have to put something back. the week after that you could be getting lunch and the waiter might ask if you want some pancakes someone else ordered and never picked up. you could find someone’s lost cat. you could watch someone’s bag while they go to the restroom. there are so many ways you are going to touch other people’s lives and they are going to touch yours and there’s no way to know when it’s going to happen. so you have to keep living!!! i wouldn’t want to die knowing that tomorrow the barista will give me free oat milk just to be nice.
When I was 11 years old – we went to Sea World for my birthday. This was to avoid the realization I had no friends, and no one to come to a birthday party and probably because someone gave my mother free tickets at work. It was kinda a shitty day despite being at a theme park full of cute animals. There was a new roller coaster there that had just opened so we decided to go on. I was nervous. I’d never been on a roller coaster.
A group of 6 college kids were ahead of us in line and started chatting with me. Full on just having a fun conversation with someone literally going through the beginning of a very awkward middle school period. I was so shocked they wanted to talk to me. I think my mom mentioned it was my birthday. They were very nice about it. When we got on the ride they told us to go ahead of them so we could sit at the front of the car since it held 8 people.
Now the ride (called Journey to Atlantis – I believe it is sadly no longer there) started with a slow ride of beautiful visuals of dolphins and oceans and computerized images of this imaginary Atlantis before going up the hill to the beginning of the coaster, where it paused for about 30 seconds, and then the ride started. The college kids must have known there would be a pause. Maybe they’d ridden it before I’m not sure.
But as we sat there on that peak, 6 people I’ve never known, and will never know again, sang a very very lonely 11 year old happy birthday. Loudly. And with gusto. They were happy and laughing and joyful. And it made me feel less alone in the world.
I am 29 years old this year, and I still remember them. I still remember that kindness. It is so important. It doesn’t go into a vacuum. It exists beside me in my daily life. And I love the idea that I have been that person to someone else too.
It’s stunningly lovely to be human when we’re kind to each other.
is the world really such a terrible place? yesterday i asked if oat milk was extra and the barista said yes so i said ok just regular milk then and when she gave me my chai latte she whispered “i used oat milk ;)” doesnt that make u want to live another day?
here is my life philosophy: next week there might be someone ahead of you in line at the store who’s short a quarter and you have a quarter and you can give it to them. if you weren’t there, they’d have to put something back. the week after that you could be getting lunch and the waiter might ask if you want some pancakes someone else ordered and never picked up. you could find someone’s lost cat. you could watch someone’s bag while they go to the restroom. there are so many ways you are going to touch other people’s lives and they are going to touch yours and there’s no way to know when it’s going to happen. so you have to keep living!!! i wouldn’t want to die knowing that tomorrow the barista will give me free oat milk just to be nice.
When I was 11 years old – we went to Sea World for my birthday. This was to avoid the realization I had no friends, and no one to come to a birthday party and probably because someone gave my mother free tickets at work. It was kinda a shitty day despite being at a theme park full of cute animals. There was a new roller coaster there that had just opened so we decided to go on. I was nervous. I’d never been on a roller coaster.
A group of 6 college kids were ahead of us in line and started chatting with me. Full on just having a fun conversation with someone literally going through the beginning of a very awkward middle school period. I was so shocked they wanted to talk to me. I think my mom mentioned it was my birthday. They were very nice about it. When we got on the ride they told us to go ahead of them so we could sit at the front of the car since it held 8 people.
Now the ride (called Journey to Atlantis – I believe it is sadly no longer there) started with a slow ride of beautiful visuals of dolphins and oceans and computerized images of this imaginary Atlantis before going up the hill to the beginning of the coaster, where it paused for about 30 seconds, and then the ride started. The college kids must have known there would be a pause. Maybe they’d ridden it before I’m not sure.
But as we sat there on that peak, 6 people I’ve never known, and will never know again, sang a very very lonely 11 year old happy birthday. Loudly. And with gusto. They were happy and laughing and joyful. And it made me feel less alone in the world.
I am 29 years old this year, and I still remember them. I still remember that kindness. It is so important. It doesn’t go into a vacuum. It exists beside me in my daily life. And I love the idea that I have been that person to someone else too.
It’s stunningly lovely to be human when we’re kind to each other.
I always compliment people if I think a nice thought, so I said something nice to this cute corseted goth girlie. She told me I made her day because she was havin’ a bad one and it was her birthday today. She was on her way to get her nails done as a treat. My wife and I immediately sang her happy birthday while waiting for our tram, and had a lil chat. She nearly cried. I hope she’s doing great 💖
