Kyler St.Phard//Black Lives Matter

Now I’ve already written several songs full of all the things I wish I could tell you. Maybe that will be enough to help me keep this from being too long (as you know, we have a hard time shutting up.)

The first thing I wish I could say to you is I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the hand that you’ve been dealt and that you will be dealt in the future. But I’m also sorry for the way I treated you. That we treated ourselves. You may not realize it now, but you are pure magic. You are something special and who you are is exactly who you are meant to be. Don’t try to change to make other people comfortable, don’t try to fit in. Just be exactly who you are, but learn how to be patient and keep being kind.

I can think of a million little things I’d like to tell you (don’t straighten your hair, your curls are fantastic; cut your parents some slack, they’re trying; hug your brother more,) but I feel like maybe I should keep this to the big ones.

I know you have big dreams. I still do. Don’t EVER stop dreaming big, but don’t let those dreams/daydreams keep you from living in the present. Your childhood will be gone so much sooner than it should be. You’ll have to grow up much too fast, so enjoy the simplicity of life while you have it.

I know you feel different. That’s because you are. But it’s not a bad thing. You have a light inside of you that the world deserves to see. You have gifts that are meant to be shared. But don’t let that get to your head either. You still have a LOT left to learn. So don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t be scared to need someone else. Everyone needs someone else. We still have so much growing to do.

Take your time, and know that the universe will put you where you need to be. I know you want to be Hannah Montana but being a teen pop star is overrated, and you have so much more to give than that. Things won’t always go your way. In fact, it will feel like they almost never do. But you are on the path you’re meant to be on and I PROMISE you will find your way.

The people in your life will change, but like the seasons, there is purpose in each change. You will find who you’re meant to be with, or better yet, they’ll find you. So just be you, because who you are is enough, and I don’t think we let ourselves believe it that often.

I love you, and I’m sorry it took us so long to say it.

the opportunity to listen to a conversation without having to form, justify and defend a position

security in the knowledge that your friends can entertain themselves, and even each other, and you don't have to lift a finger

sweet release from the obligation to attend events that don't interest you

[image ID: Text reading Texas State Aquarium staff stated that the animals have been getting a little restless. One of the employees had an idea to let some of the land animals spend time with some of the sea animals, and it has worked out brilliantly.

Putting the sloths near the dolphins was the biggest surprise of all. The dolphins are absolutely delighted with the sloths, and the sloths, normally very quiet animals, have been squeaking replies back to the dolphins for hours at a time. Who would have guessed these two species would be such a great match?

carmen papalia:

From the series on replacing his cane, this is one where he replaced his cane with a megaphone and would stand at intersections repeating “I can’t see” until somebody would stop and help him cross the street

Another cane replacement, this time replacing it with a high school marching band who would change the music depending on if there was something in the way or not.

A museum intervention where he got people at the MET to go through the museum with their eyes closed and experiencing touching things he’d gotten permission to touch (the floor in this image) and just exploring a visual art museum blind.

The Blind Field Shuffle, in which he has dozens of people form a conga line behind him with their eyes closed and leads them on a blind tour of the city - literally the blind leading the blind.

Wish I could find a better photo, but this is a museum gallery he curated where the works are almost at floor height, making them accessible to children, little people, and people in wheelchairs, but requiring abled people to bend down or sit on the floor in order to see them properly.

[begin id 1 of 5: a photo of carmen papalia from the upper torso up holding a megafone to his face while walking on a sidewalk. He is at the forefront of the image in the camera’s left corner, and the megafone takes up a lot of the corner. behind his head stretches the sidewalk and road, with a fence and trees on the other side of the sidewalk on the camera’s right. he’s speaking through the megafone with a neutral expression. it has captions that read: “I can’t see you” four times. end id 1 of 5]

[begin id 2 of 5: a photo taken across the street from where carmen papalia is standing at a crosswalk and facing the camera with a marching band behind him. the marching band’s conductor has his back to the camera and is in the middle of conducting as some people watch from the camera’s right. end id 2/5]

[begin id 3/5: a photo of two people who are kneeling on the floor of a museum, one has straight mid length dark hair, the other has long hair tied back. The one with their hair tied back is guiding the other person’s hands along the floor, both look happy. there are museum goers in the background and to the camera’s right. end id 3/5]

[begin id 4/5: a photo taken of carmen papalia walking down a sidewalk towards the camera with his cane. he is leading a long group of people who have their eyes closed. half the line is approaching a turn in the sidewalk that the others have already taken. most of them look happy. Carmen and people close behind him have more neutral faces. there is an onlooker from the camera’s right who looks like an officer of some type, his expression is neutral. end id 4/5]

Baymax in the new Baymax! show buying pads for a girl who got her first period and getting help from people, including a trans man.

“Cat introducing one month old kitten to dog”