Thursday, December 31, 2020

2020: PIVOT

 If you have watched the show Friends, you know the iconic scene where they try to get a couch up the stairs. If you need a reminder of the scene, it's right here. Ross is yelling "pivot" throughout the scene.

Well, 2020 has been full of people needing to quickly pivot. Homes became offices, getting take out became an ethical thing to do, Netflix became an acceptable hobby, and you probably can list many examples of your own. Simultaneously, hospitals are currently war zones fighting Covid-19. Two very difficult realities blurring together on the nightly news. It has been horrifying however, it has taught me that humans are wired to have hope even in our darkest hours. So many people stepped up and helped their fellow neighbor. That is our nature-simply to be human.

I am very blessed to be able to share wonderful news. Through sending a Christmas card, I got a job! One of my professional acquaintances received my card, she congratulated me on receiving my master's degree and through emails, she discovered I was unemployed, and she was looking for someone she trusted to do social media for Anabaptist Disability Network. I will have other responsibilities as well especially when we can gather again. This is only 10 hours a week so keep your eyes and ears out for other opportunities for me because I want to help this world as much as I can. 

As we look forward into a year of healing and hope, I feel compelled to note that I personally miss two things the most. The first one is live audiences at speaking engagements. I miss interacting with kids and teaching them about disability. I miss the curious faces. What a blessing to look at a bunch of kids! The second thing I miss most is having adventures. I miss something going wrong in public and it ending up on here. That is what makes life beautiful: laughing with you or one of you catching an eye roll and knowing exactly what I'm thinking. I miss writing about crashing into glass doors, going on roller coasters, or simply getting coffee with one of you. Okay, I could go without crashing into glass doors. I genuinely miss the everyday going a little bit haywire and having the privilege of sharing the humor life has to offer. 

 Thank you for supporting me throughout the year. We will keep on pivoting until we do not have to any longer. I look forward to having adventures with you in 2021! 

 Love to All,

Hannah! 

P.S. I’ll write more about my new job in January when I know what it is like.

Monday, November 30, 2020

Giving Thanks

 Dear Readers, 

Thank you so much for your support for my videos. It's been absolutely overwhelming. I am going to continue these videos as long as you watch them. I don't know what will happen with them which is always exciting. It's also been a chance to put good out in the world which is a blessing. It's not something I take for granted.

I had the weirdest Thanksgiving Day. My siblings couldn't come because of Covid, my Nana couldn't come, my uncle Gary couldn't come, but we did do Zoomsgiving. I got to see everyone which is all that matters. Hopefully, next Thanksgiving is relatively normal. It was my parents, my roommate, and me for Thanksgiving dinner. It was weird but I will take it. For those of you who had to be alone, I'm so sorry and please know you were in my prayers. 

It will get better. 

 

Love, 

Hannah! 

Saturday, October 31, 2020

America Has Chosen

Updated November 10th, 2020

 

America has chosen

Decency 

Integrity 

Grace

America has chosen 

Diversity 

Character 

Compassion 

America has chosen 

Man's best friend 

Grandchildren 

A strong family 

America has chosen 

Joe Biden 

Kamala Harris

America has chosen good over evil. 

 

Let us be agents of change. Let us all shine brightly for the world to see.  


Peace and Goodness, 

Hannah!

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

The Notorious RBG

Note: This was updated October 11th, 2020.

The legend of the Notorious RBG is now history. Unfortunately, she passed away this month. 2020, you are simply horrific.

While she was known for her advocacy for women, she also helped individuals with disabilities live independent lives. The Disability Scoop states, "This big moment, and (Ginsburg’s) staunch affirmation of the human dignity of people with disabilities and their rightful place in the community of their choice, fundamentally changed the course of the lives of hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities,” said Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc.”  I am one of those people.

Her shadow lingers over me like an ever-expansive starry night. Picking up her torch seems heavier than the Olympic torch however, if we pick it up together, it will be easier to carry. I fight with words, so I admire how she used the English language to advocate for the little guy. Words are a weapon and if they are used correctly, the world changes for good. 

As I write this, the leader of the United States has Covid-19. The Senate is trying to push through a nominee for the Supreme Court in an unconstitutional way. Parts of the country are burning to the ground. Other natural disasters are rampant across the country. My mind also drifts towards third world countries who lack resources in a way we cannot begin to fathom. As a person who wants to help, I do not know where to begin.

And then I think of the people in my life that make me smile. I think of weddings, birthdays, graduations, we will get back to those eventually. I think of the impromptu dance parties with friends and it brings a sense of peace. We will eventually get back to normal. Meanwhile, I will spread love and try to do as good as possible.

 For now, take it day by day. 

Virtual Hugs,

Hannah!

Monday, August 31, 2020

Kidney Stones in a Pandemic!

 It's been one heck of a month! 

I was having pain on my left side. I went to the doctor and through an x-ray, my doctor determined it was kidney stones. I was told to drink a lot of fluids and wait it out. Fine.

Two weeks later, I am in writhing pain. I did not have an appetite; I could not do anything but sit. I called my doctor who wanted me to go to the emergency room. Wanting to avoid the ER in a pandemic (I cannot believe I just typed that sentence), my dad asked my doctor if we could avoid going to the ER and just send prescription pain medication. My doctor would not do that because I could have had an infection or blockage. I did not want to go to the ER, but the pain was radiating to my legs. My dad was pacing nervously the entire day; I felt so bad, but I knew I was in pain. I did not want to put my parents through this, but it was absolutely necessary. 

I asked my parents to take me to Rush Oak Park. This was because my doctors are all there, so I knew the x-rays were very much accessible to them. This is when I got frustrated. The fact that my x-rays were on hand did not speed up the process. Are you kidding? I just dragged my parents here for NOTHING. I was so angry they could not speed up the process.  

After a two hour wait, we get to a room. They finally give me morphine. Within two minutes, I am out of pain. After another hour, I finally got into CT. The technician's son happened to have a disability too, so he let mom be in the room which always helps.

It turns out that the stupid kidney stone moved. It did not become 15 stones; the darn thing just moved! I was so frustrated, happy to be on the morphine but what a waste of time! Since coming home, I only needed two pain killers. I am hoping it passed but I don't know. 

As if this wasn't enough, I had a new caregiver go through training and then quit. Yeah, that’s nice. September, could you go easy on us?

Hannah! 

A Slice of my Memoir

 For those of you who don't know, I met a girl named, Katherine at the camp that I used to go to. She is my best friend. We text every...