My Supports

The technological factors on which I have become depend are my cell phone and my lap top. I have been known to be late for an appointment because I had to run back into my apartment to retrieve my cell phone. There have also been times I have arrived at work, just to find myself in a state of panic upon discovering I forgot my cell!! My cell phone is my life line to my parents, my children, my siblings and my friends. Additionally, I use my cell phone as an alarm, a calculator, and a camera. On equal ground with my cell is my laptop. I also use my laptop to maintain contact with relatives and friends. I pay all my bills on-line. I used my lap top for research. Working on an on-line master’s program would be out of the question without my laptop. My father just turned 91 and his health is not always stable. Maintaining close contact with him and my mother means everything to me, especially because I live a distance from them. My children also live a distance from me. I enjoy the close contact we are able to maintain because of cell phones and computers. As a people we have become dependent on modern technology.
My dependency on technology is paramount to maintaining contact with the most important people in my life - my family and my friends. From them I get emotional support, companionship, fellowship, and friendship. The older I become the more my life revolves around my family. We have a strong emotional bond that changes as we grow and becomes even stronger. My friends are very similar to me in that we are very independent. Our friendship carries us through the ups and downs of life. We validate each other.
I am also one for making lists. I make “to do” lists, grocery lists, and presents lists. At Christmas time I become dependent on my “presents” list. It would be terrible if I forgot to buy a gift for someone! My “to do” lists help me to be organized. I have attended trainings that reinforced the personal reward of accomplishment that accompanies crossing things off lists.
A factor within my life that provides much support that I usually, but not always, take for granted is my health. I keep myself as physically fit as I am able and I maintain a healthy diet. Being healthy is easy for me, but maintaining physical fitness is more challenging. Three years ago I was in a serious car accident and broke my back requiring balloon kypho-plasty surgery, meaning I have cement in my back supporting a vertebra. Imagining a specific challenge hits home for me because of how lucky I feel that I am able to walk. I frequently imagine what it would be like to be in a wheel chair and I prepare myself that as I age I may be faced with the challenge of learning to be in a wheel chair. The biggest impact of not being able to walk would have on me is just that - not being able to walk! Before my accident I participated in 5 and 10K races. The last 10K race I participated in I finished third in my age group. Some of the challenges of being in a wheel chair would be getting in and out of a vehicle, learning to use a stove and other kitchen appliances, using a washing machine, and learning to remain independent. I am aware that there are supports and adaptations that can be made so I would be able to maintain living on my own. The challenge, however, would be learning to use the adaptations. The hardest challenge to face would be adjusting to the attitudes others have toward physically challenged people. Teaching our children to be accepting of individuals that are different is of such importance to the many diverse challenges so many people face.