Short Rant

We all have things that bug us. It's just a part of being human. One of the biggest things that bother me is the way that people throw the word "retarded" around. This makes me absolutely crazy. The way people will call each other retarded or call themselves a retard when they feel they have done something wrong makes my blood boil.

True Story- I used to share an apartment with a mildly retarded man. The deal was I got free rent and a small stipend and we worked on life skills like cooking - money - taking the bus - using the phone etc. It was a good deal. He was a nice guy. He was never going to live alone but he was more than capable of living in a supported enviroment. One night I had a friend over and the three of us were sitting in the living room. She begins to tell a story about something she did. I can't remember the details but it involved her making some kind of a silly mistake. In the course of the story she called herself a "retard" not once - not twice but THREE times in front of this man. I was horrified - he was devastated. I always said the worse thing for him was that he was mildly retarded - so he knew enough to know he was not like everyone else but didn't really have the tools to deal with it. We had a long coversation after she left about people using that word. He wasn't angry but he was hurt and confused. He went to bed that night very sad and I can honestly say never really looked at that friend the same way again.

In our fast paced, give me everything now, mine is better than your's world we have become completely desensitized to the fact that there are people out there who carry the real and very serious diagnosis of being mentally retarded or developmentally delayed. I am lucky enough to do some respite work with two teenage brothers who both carry this diagnosis. They are severely handicapped mentally and have some physical issues;mostly just fine motor issues and a little balance stuff. The 6 hours or so that I get to spend with them are often the best six hours of my week. I can show up there after working my regular job and be cranky and exhausted but in just a few minutes they have managed to pull me out of that mood, made me laugh and feel unconditionally loved.

They are simply two of the best people I know. Unfortunately I cannot say that about most of the "regular" people I know.

OK rant over...