#handicaps

"God has never said you have to perform great deeds for your country and humanity to have lived well. Where would that leave all the sick people in the world? Look at me, for instance, needing assistance all the time. You wouldn't say that we sick and bedridden of the world are 'useful'! But usefulness is not the point. Our lives are of great worth if we accept with good grace the situation Providence places us in and go on living lovingly....Our talents and handicaps may differ greatly, but we are all equal in this: each of us is born to manifest God's glory; to know, love and serve him here below and share in his eternal life after death...if you make the vital decision to live humbly and lovingly, you will live fruitful lives and be happy."

~Takashi Nagai

When a bender has some sort of handicap, their bending will step in and take over for the missing ability. I’m going to be very methodical and break these up into groups and give y’all my theories.

Earthbenders

Blindness- As shown with Toph, the earthbending will allow her to sense vibrations from pretty far away so she knows where everything is.

Deafness- Maybe different sounds have different vibrations? At the very least, a Deaf earthbender would be able to tell where a sound is coming from.

Paralysis- Who needs a wheelchair when you can just move the ground under you?

Loss of a limb- Earthbenders would have wicked prosthetics. All they would have to do is bend the earth and presto! You’ve got a working limb. Can’t feel anything from it, but still.

Waterbenders

Blindness- Waterbenders could probably also sense their element thus allowing them to sense most living things. This is where living in one of the Poles would be a problem though. It would be like that episode where they blinded the smelling-reptilian-bloodhound thing with the perfume.

Deafness- I got nothing. Suggestions?

Paralysis- This is where living in one of the Poles would come in handy. A waterbender could control almost every aspect of their environment. They can just make like, a cushion of snow and float around on it.

Loss of a limb: Snow prosthetic?

Airbenders

Blindness: If an airbender can sense the air, they could probably also sense the not-air, giving them a pretty reliable map.

Deafness: Air comes out differently depending on the sound?

Paralysis: Airbenders can literally fly.

Loss of a limb: I got nothing. Suggestions?

Firebenders

Blindness: Firebenders can sense heat which works great for seeing where people are and detecting fire attacks. Not so great for seeing doors.

Deafness: I got nothing. Suggestions?

Paralysis- Nope, still nothing.

Loss of a limb: Nada.

For my handicaps

For, through them,

I have found myself,

My work,

And my God.

If you are not ready to have anything other than a 100% perfectly ordinary neurotypical child, then you are not ready for a child.

Be ready to have a child with autism

Be ready to have a child with adhd

Be ready for a child with ocd

Be ready for a child with deppression

Be ready for a child with anxiety

Be ready to have a child who needs therapy

Be ready for a child with behavior problems

Be ready for a child who struggles in school

Be ready for a child who needs an IEP/504

Be ready for a child with cerebral palsy

Be ready for a child who is blind

Be ready for a child who is deaf

Be ready for a child who is mute

Be ready for a child who is gifted (it's actually very difficult to parent a gifted child, as they often come with their own issues)

Be ready for a child who has a physical illnesses

Be ready for a child who has cancer

According to the CDC, One in every seven children will have something that doesn't make them "normal". Don't think it won't happen to you, because odds are very good that it will.

Very few people seem to find it easy to maintain a correspondence, notably my siblings who in theory should have abilities equivalent to mine though even I do write in fits and starts.  My father, too, can’t seem to write by choice but only by accident of inspiration.  But several of them are capable at the relatively mundane and regular task of Christmas card writing where I am not.

I can accept, I think, that I can’t write short, sweet greetings, or comfortably send hallmark cards in the mail.  There is a mental block there - it has always felt dishonest from me.  I never have all of five words to say if I mean a thing, and I desperately need my sincerity to be clear when it exists.  So I cannot perform the small task.  But sometimes, I can perform the large one.

It means I send a lot of unanswered mail.  And sometimes it feels empty, getting cards back from my brother the contents of which are on average about 1/4 “Thank you for your letters”.  It isn’t an echo chamber, it’s going to voice mail.  But - it’s so much more communication than we ever do otherwise.  I don’t hang out on facebook, we don’t call except for birthdays or business, we don’t email.  I see him a few times per year on holidays or birthdays or family reunions.

“Okay,” Kevin said. “Read it to me one more time.” He was sitting in what passed for us, our Green Room. This is a small area where on air talent and guests go to decompress, wait, and get ready to go on the Air. In a few minutes, Kevin would be going on the air to give the news. Every weekday, from 3 PM to 5 PM, our college TV station went on the air. The local cable company had their own feed…