Habit Forming Love: Day 2
hey joe,
it blew my mind when you referenced something that happened 3 or 4 years ago while we were talking last night. besides the fact that 4 years can feel like eternity to a 21 year old kid, the path towards community has been filled with such growth it feels funny to look back a time when we were so…new, with so…much to learn.
do you know that every day, every single day, i am bursting with pride in you? not many people can say that in the last year alone, they’ve made huge strides in bringing a disability rights perspective to the bioethics field, have led take over of their senator’s office until she agreed to cosponsor a bill, organize book clubs that folks have traveled hours to be in attendance, and agreed to facilitate sessions on sexuality at their friends’ youth disability conferences. (…don’t you think it says something about you that when you came to NC, i asked you to lead our sex discussion, a bioethics talk around the movie x-men3, and a workshop on disability culture? smile.).
however, what i take most pride in is who you are as a person— that we’ve been able to grow so much together. i think this happens a lot with cross-cultural friendships but a huge aspect of our friendship has always been examining the world, whether this is our relationships with the academy, activism, privilege, the disability community, feminism, each other. i love that we can sit in the dark and hash out why we had a fight over something like the academy and didn’t talk for months because of it. i love that when i’m freaking out about whether i’m too crip to date someone, you assure me i am worthy. i love that when i am saying things like “we don’t have a community, just suits” you call me out and say, no. no, we are here, we are growing in numbers, we are the movement, believe.
from you i have learned the importance of using all the tools we have, of tapping into people’s strengths and passions. from you i have also learned that everyone is open for growth, that we are all unlimited in the potential for what we can become.
thank you for your friendship. i love you.
affectionately,
cripchick
–
Habit Forming Love Challenge, 30 Days of Intentional Love. Check out She Speaks for more details and join us!
I am nearly (nearly) at a loss for words, my friend. This is a beautiful celebration of our friendship and i am truly grateful to have you in my life as an ally and a teacher and a supporter and a partner in crime and every other hat you have worn in my life. you have made my journey rich and full and worthwhile.
philosophercrip
26 Mar 09 at 2:20 PM