Author: rightsandwhiskers
-
Stepping outside my comfort zone.
I had the honor and privilege to be invited to the 2025 NADSP conference, Elevate, in Buffalo, NY. I had never been to the East coast before this trip. I got to be in Canadian waters and see Niagara falls! Presenting was amazing and I made amazing connections. One of the best experiences I have had to date, and I got to experience with my partner in crime and best friend, my hubby. Niagara Falls is breathtaking and the pictures don’t do it justice. Here are some pictures from our trip.
-
NADSP Conference
Tomorrow, I will have the amazing opportunity to present at the NADSP conference in Buffalo, NY. I have never been to the East Coast before and we are excited to visit Niagara Falls! -
Best author of the 20th century…
If you want an AMAZING author to get into, please consider Octavia Butler. She literally predicted the current crap going on via Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents. She also wrote Kindred and several other great novels.
She was paid pittance for her work because she was a Black Woman in a white, male dominated world via sci-fi. Her work today would be called Speculative Fiction and/or Afrofuturist. She is the one of the BEST writers of the 20th century- hands down. I have read every single one of books except the Parable books which I am working on right now. It’s scary how much that world matches our current world when she was working on this back in the 70’s/80’s.
Just like Ray Bradbury and George Orwell predicted a grim future we are living in currently- Octavia was also predicting a grim future. There is always hope but they were providing warnings of what we might become. Unfortunately, we didn’t head the warnings of these brilliant minds that have incredible intuition.
READING is EVERYTHING. Free education. You don’t need to go to college to give yourself an education. In fact, it’s much cheaper and easier to just read anything and everything. A society that reads and educates themselves doesn’t allow themselves to be controlled or manipulated.
-
Wise words from a Wise woman…
“Choose your leaders
with wisdom and forethought.
To be led by a coward
is to be controlled
by all that the coward fears.
To be led by a fool
is to be led
by the opportunists
who control the fool.
To be led by a thief
is to offer up
your most precious treasures
to be stolen.
To be led by a liar
is to ask
to be told lies.
To be led by a tyrant
is to sell yourself
and those you love
into slavery.”― Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Talents
Octavia is hands down my favorite author of all time and she predicated the future we are now living. She had a brilliant mind and wasn’t appreciated like she should have been when she was living. I am trying to introduce as many people as possible to her books because she is amazing. She writes speculative fiction, but also Afrofuturism. She was one of the pioneers who established the genre!
-
Make America Love Again
When injustice becomes more important than love for our fellow humans, we have lost our humanity. That humanity is what makes us critical thinkers and creators. We have to get back to this somehow.
All we can do is go through life with love. I am going to practice this daily, with a spoonful of gratitude. I will continue to fight injustice. Always remember “when I justice becomes law, resistance becomes duty”.
-
Training Opportunity!
Join me on Tuesday 08/05 to learn about Compassion Fatigue, Compassion Satisfaction, and Resilience.
Flipping the Switch: Compassion Fatigue to Compassion Satisfaction
$45
August 5 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Instructor(s): Lindsay Dutton
Many of us go into the human services field because we have an immense passion for helping others and serving our communities. However, we aren’t always aware of how supporting others can take a toll on our own well-being. This training will introduce the concepts of compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma, but most importantly we will discuss compassion satisfaction and resilience. Together we will gain an understanding of how to nurture our own well-being and protect ourselves, while also providing great support to those we serve.
Participants will gain an understanding of:
- What compassion fatigue is, the contributing factors, as well as the signs and symptoms.
- The differences and similarities between compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout.
- Compassion satisfaction, resilience, and the connection with our well-being.
- How to create a simple support plan for themselves to use at work and/or home to help serve as a reminder to make space for their own well-being.
-
I am Fire
By Lindsay Dutton
I am honest and true
That seems to frighten you
Let me tell you who I am
Maybe you will understand then
I burn and I am fire
Like the Phoenix, I desire
To shed my wings
And do great things
But wait, I am healing
And I bring feeling
I don’t just light the fire
I ask, what is your true desire?
Then comes along the earth
I can hear the rumble of the surf
The wind starts to sing
They then ask, what do you bring?
I am fire, I am healing
Teaching and bringing feeling
Chasing my destiny
Forever, eternally
-
A Conversation with Grief part 5
Moving on WITH you not without you
When my mom passed away, I was given a chakra deck from a good friend. The number 8 has started to be significant since my mom passed away. She passed away 8 days before my 39th birthday in 2024. In 2002, my dad passed 8 days after my 17th birthday. My husband just a few days ago connected that our cat, Jameson, who meant the world to us, passed away 8 days before our anniversary, in 2024. Now, as if that wasn’t strange enough- my husband was born in 1988. That is a lot of 8’s to just be a coincidence.
I am not religious but I consider myself spiritual, but I lean more pagan. I have a naturally rebellious nature and can’t subscribe to one way of thinking. I have done some research about the number 8 within different spiritual/religious traditions. My mom identified as Christian, so even though I don’t share that belief- I am fascinated by the biblical perspective. Here is what I found:
- Abundance and Success:
The number 8 is widely recognized as a symbol of wealth, success, and material prosperity. - Strength and Power:
It can also represent inner strength, determination, and the ability to achieve goals, sometimes linked to feminine energy. - Balance and Harmony:
The symmetrical shape of the number 8 also symbolizes balance, both in its physical form and in the cyclical nature of life, suggesting renewal and equilibrium. - Infinity and Infinite Possibilities:
The continuous loop of the number 8 connects it to the concept of infinity, suggesting endless opportunities and potential for growth. - Spiritual Significance:
In various spiritual contexts, 8 represents new beginnings, spiritual regeneration, and a departure from the natural world into the supernatural, according to Torah Mitzion and Chabad.org. - In Judaism:
The number 8 is associated with new beginnings, redemption, and the Kingdom of God, according to LoveIsrael. - In Chinese Numerology:
8 is a highly auspicious number, symbolizing wealth and good fortune. - In the Bible:
It often represents new beginnings, resurrection, and a fresh start. - Seeing the number 8, especially repeatedly, is often interpreted as a positive sign, urging individuals to embrace their potential, work towards their goals, and trust in the abundance of the universe, says TODAY.com.
My mom was one of the most caring people that walked this earth and she would spread love everywhere she went and to anyone and everyone. She never let her struggles stop her from spreading joy to others. My mom lived with Bi-polar Type 1 with psychosis. She took good care of herself but she was often over medicated during my childhood. She had to sleep a lot to balance her mental health and life responsibilities. We watched a lot of movies together and I have fond memories of making her watch Star Wars a million times, Neverending Story, Lord of the Rings, E.T., and other great 80’s and 90’s sci-fi and fantasy movies. She would take me to the video store every weekend and let me just go crazy and rent a ton of movies and video games.
Anyway, my mom was the best human and anyone that met her would agree with that. Despite her many struggles, despite being treated less than, despite being over medicated, despite getting Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome, and then even upon developing dementia- she was always there one way or another. There were times when she was a zombie and I thought I had lost her forever, but she would get a little better. It was a cycle until the final months of her life. The dementia got really bad and I knew she wasn’t coming back this time. This triggered a hypomanic episode and the worst one that I have had to date. My brain finally accepted that she was gone for good this time. She died about 5 months later.
I have been processing so much anger about the way she was treated. She was neglected so many times it makes me nauseous. My mom sent me a message that it isn’t my fight. Apparently she died in her sleep and just one last final breath. Getting to the after life was like a birthday party and finally going home to be with our ancestors. I won’t go into how I know this at this time because that isn’t the story that I am meant to tell right now.
My mom is telling me that it is time to move on with her and that she will always be with me no matter what. I do believe that I will see her and my other ancestors again someday but I have a lot of work to do here first. My mom taught me all of the most important lessons that humans need to learn in life and that has always given me an edge. My mom taught me empathy. My mom taught me kindness. My mom taught me forgiveness. She taught me to be the best human that I could and she taught me that I could do and be anything.
Mom, I would never have become who I am today without you. I am so sorry that life wasn’t better to you but sometimes our perception is skewed. You said you had a happy life and I heard the message. I wish I would have seen it more when you were here but it gives me peace now when I need it most. I will never stop missing you and I know you want me to move on with you and not without you. I love you to the moon and back.
- Abundance and Success:
-
#DisabilityPrideMonth
Today marks the start of Disability Pride Month! To my fellow disabled humans, we are going to make it through this if we keep fighting- like we always have.
Try to do something to celebrate this month even though it feels difficult to do so right now.
Here are some reminders from our Mother of Disability Rights- Judy Heumann:
“Change never happens at the pace we think it should. It happens over years of people joining together, strategizing, sharing, and pulling all the levers they possibly can.”
“Part of the problem is that we tend to think that equality is about treating everyone the same, when it’s not. It’s about fairness. It’s about equity of access.”
#Bethechange
#disabilitypridemonth
#disability