Thursday, June 4, 2009

Freedom

In this post I will have two major topics.
Freedom!
Some of you might think that I have a lot of freedom now that I am living on my own, yes I do but the most satisfying freedom for me is one in which I can explore the world of dance without the confines of my wheelchair. You might ask how do you do it? Well to be honest we are so in tune with each other’s bodies that if my partner senses that I am unstable he/she will adjust me accordingly and I will support them where needed in return. This kind of freedom is amazing for me. I am one with the world. Today I experienced a different kind of freedom. One in wich I was running for my life. I was studying with my new tutor Elyse, who by the way is a wonderful person and I will talk about her in future posts.
Anyway, I was beginning to get stressed out because it is nearing the end of the semester and I have three papers due on Monday and this is Saturday. When all of the sudden we hear buzzzzzzzz. The fire alarm went off. Luckily the elevator still worked! It is always an adventure at 607. I also lost my freedom today when my chair broke down. Thank goodness for my back up chair. My parents have lost a little of their freedom as well ever since they started taking care of my cousin Justin but just like everything else in life they are looking at the situation with the cup half full even when times are tough and I honor them for that. One of the things I have learned from the PATH Training I just went to and from my friends/sisters Hannah,CC and Emily, is that just like in dance you have to listen with more than your ears to allow someone their freedom of speech and expression. Thank you for teaching me this valuable lesson that I believe has helped me become a better person and listener, thus a better person in many aspects of my life. This poem is an example of what I mean.
Christine Mayer's poem:

If you are going to work with me,
you have to listen to me.
And you can't just listen with your ears,
because it will go to your head too fast.
If you listen slowly,
with your whole body,
some of what I say will enter your heart.

Finally thank you to all of you who helped plan and/or came to Mary Poppins with us. It was a lot of fun and something I will never forget! Here is a song from it that I really liked before that I must say it is almost as good as Wicked!
Go see it if you can!
Anything Can Happen If You Let It
Mary POPPINS] _Anything can happen if you let it _Sometimes things are difficult but you can bet it _Doesn't have to be so __[JANE] _Changes can be made __[MICHAEL] _You can move a mountain if you use a larger spade __[MARY POPPINS] _Anything can happen, it's a marvel __[MICHAEL] _You can be a butterfly __[JANE] _Or just stay larval __[JANE & MICHAEL] _Stretch your mind beyond fantastic _Dreams are made of strong elastic __[MARY POPPINS] _Take some sound advice and don't forget it __[WINIFRED, JANE & MICHAEL] _Anything can happen if you let it __[WINIFRED] _I wonder... __[ALL] _Anything can happen if you let it __[WINIFRED] _You won't know a challenge until you've met it __[MICHAEL] _No one does it for you __[WINIFRED] _No one but yourself _Vacillating violets get left up on the shelf _Anything can happen, just imagine __[MARY POPPINS] _That should be epitaph _I wear the badge in _Honor of this world's free thinkers __[WINIFRED] _Those who see beyond their blinkers __[JANE & MICHAEL] _Jelly isn't jelly __[WINIFRED, JANE & MICHAEL] _'Til you set it _Anything can happen if you let it __[MARY POPPINS] _Anything can happen if you let it _What good is a whistle __[BERT] _Unless you whet it __[MARY POPPINS & BERT] _Broaden your horizons __[BERT] _Open different doors __[MARY POPPINS & BERT] _You may find a you there that you never knew was yours __[BERT & MRS CORRY] _Anything can happen __[MRS CORRY] _Raise the curtain _Things you though impossible __[BERT & MRS CORRY] _Will soon seem certain _Thought at first it may sound clownish _See the world more upside-downish _Turn it on its head then pirouette it __[BERT, MRS CORRY & LAMP-LIGHTERS] _Anything can happen if you let it __[MARY POPPINS] _If you reach for the stars _All you get are the stars _But we've found a whole new spin _If you reach for the heavens _You get the stars thrown in __[ALL] _You get the stars thrown in __If you reach for the stars _All you get are the stars _But we've found a whole new spin _If you reach for the heavens _You get the stars thrown in __Anything can happen if you let it _Life is out there waiting so go and get it _Grab it by the collar, seize it by the scruff _Once you've started living life you just can't get enough __Anything can happen, it's official _You can choose the super or the
Superficial _Sally forth the way we're steering _Obstacles start disappearing _Go and chase your dreams you won't regret it _Anything can happen _(Anything can happen) _Anything can happen __[MARY POPPINS, JANE & MICHAEL] _Anything can happen __[ALL] _If you let it
I hope you let it!
-Jess

School’s out for the summer!
Yes school is out for the summer and I have a lot of fun things to look forward too. One of my best friends Hannah is coming home from college and I can’t tell you how excited I am! I also can’t wait for my trip to Israel. It is a dream that I have had for a long time and it is finally coming true on June 8th.
For those of you that don’t know my cousin Brent is getting married on July 11th. I am so happy for them and I wish them all the best! Brent, Kristina is so sweet and she already feels like family to me. I also am looking forward to taking lots of bike rides with my Dad, Brian and Justin. I am also looking forward to doing activities with TotalLink2.
I wouldn’t have been able to have another successful semester at Oakton if it wasn’t for these peoples guidance and support
First I would like to thank the librarians at the Des Plains library for helping me and treating me like a regular college student who needed help with research. Next I would like to thank Elyse for stepping in the middle of the semester and doing whatever you could so that I could do my work as independently as possible and be a good student. You are amazing! I do want to thank my note-taker, Ashley, for always being there. Knowing that I can count on her was always a good thing because I have not always been able to count on my note-takers in the past. I think Ashley and I have become really good friends and I hope that I was helpful to you just as you were helpful to me. Towards the end of class, it was hard for me to focus on the information because we had become such good friends and I wanted to talk to you.

Also I would like to thank Jacki for driving me to class on crazy Thursdays and helping me with homework when needed. Brenda thank you for driving me to class on Mondays and Wednesdays. Barb thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to go with me to Weight Watchers for six weeks. I couldn’t have done it without you. I wasn’t trying to lose weight, it was for a school project on group dynamics. LOL…when my dad found out he totally lost it. Finally I want to thank Brian and Sarah for helping me in this crazy week of finals and Mom even when you had a hard week you never let me down. Mom and Dad thank you for supporting me in my schoolwork.
Goals for next school year!
1.Become a better writer.
2. Work with Dragon Naturally Speaking.
3.Work on a PC
4.Be as independent as I can at my internships.
5. Work a lot at TotalLink2

Have a good summer!
-Jess