Marvelous Monday!

Oh my goodness… every Monday seems to catch me by surprise! Where does the weekend go?!

To begin, I am thankful for new friends. This weekend we had the pleasure of going to a new friend’s house for her son’s 5th birthday. When we got there, everyone recognized Addie right away (even the hubbies). It was amazing to watch people smile at her and not look to question. Addie’s hair was pulled back, which I love because it keeps her hair off her face, but it also showcases her larger head. I think she’s drop dead gorgeous- her golden brown wisps around her temples and her big blue eyes shining, but every so often someone mentions her large melon and it darn near drives me up a wall. However, when we walked in the door, there were oohs and ahhhs. It may seem normal for most parents to hear those sounds, but to this mama, those sounds are pure music to my ears. I am so blessed to have met this family, and have the opportunity to expand my blogging, fitness and personal relationships.

Information about dwarfism you may not know… you cannot discriminate against someone simply because they have a form of dwarfism. I’ve been speaking with a wonderful woman who has run into numerous issues when trying to sign her child up for daycare, and being given the run-around as to why they cannot accept her family. When it all comes down to it, there are so many ways for someone to say no that this family has had to provide the accommodations, adaptive materials and planning guides to ensure their child’s safety, and still there is much hesitance due to the “condition” their child has. You may be thinking that’s illegal and call a lawyer, but please remember why my recent journey has been met with such resistance: the world is ignorant to the facts about dwarfism. The LP community is underrepresented, and it is apparent in the daily lives of many. I hope you continue to join me in raising dwarfism awareness!

… While I’m on the topic, I wanted to share my random of the week, brought to you by SNL.

You know when you hear a joke and everyone around you laughs, but you realize that their laughter stems from the idea of dehumanizing your fellow man? Yeah, I know what that’s like. I grew up in the era of dead baby jokes. My baby brother died shortly after birth, when I was 6. There was never a time that I thought these jokes were funny, nor did I understand why the idea of anyone dying or being dead was something to laugh about. I went to private school, so these kids were not under-supervised kids- they were mostly the opposite of such. Still, when I asked the kids to stop, they would continue, often asking what wasn’t funny about their joke.

THIS LINK  is just another example of what’s not funny, even when everyone around you seems to laugh. This is a skit of SNL’s Stefon & Myers, and while I understand how hysterical it is to force a human into acting as an inanimate object or one that can be forced to do something inhumane… oh wait, I don’t understand. It’s not funny. It’s kind of gross. I can only imagine how many people out there are laughing at the idea of making a LP act as their fanny pack, but why? Why is mocking another human, and treating them like an object humor? I ask all of you this week to reflect upon what is satire and what is downright wrong. Trade places with another group of people… say someone who is African American being used as a pack carrier, or someone with autism being made fun of this way. You might bite your tongue before you laugh, if you laugh at all. I asked my friend about this. I could hear his bitter smile through the phone as he said, “The ACLU would be all over SNL before the skit ended if the black man was used in a joke as a pack mule to clubbers.”

I’m not asking for much… just some respect for your fellow man or woman. I guess that wasn’t so “random” after all.

Silver Linings Playbook… not only does it feature my amazing Philly, the gorgeous GA grad Mr. Cooper and my angry-face muse, De Niro, but it shows the hard lives people battle everyday as a result of mental illness. While the end is pretty feel good, in terms of how real life happens, and how people (generally) have to gingerly handle their daily lives for the remainder of them- it is a movie I will be suggesting to everyone. Not everything is easy in this life- let’s bring some awareness and love. Respect, mindfulness, and tolerance to things we may not understand, but certainly have the ability to accept. I hope that random  is a bit more palatable for you. 🙂 Thank you for reading! I hope you have a beautiful week, Reader!