A very important day!

Hey, it’s me, you’re sometimes regularly fight4mylife blog owner (well I’m always the owner, I just go absent sometimes).

I am making this post to talk about the special monumental day today is. As you know my past few posts have been about special Observances as I am starting to fine those to be rather important (Though I am going to greatly decrease posting only posts about observances after today).

Today however, is the last day of March it is the last day for the following observances…

These observances are all important to me for multiple reasons as they all have relevance in my life.

Red Cross month

Red Cross month is important to me because I have always tried to donate blood when I can. I think that anyone who can should, especially people with O- blood for example, even if it’s not the Red Cross they are working with.

The red Cross also does a lot of work with CPR certification and other similar life saving certification training and disaster relief work.

I have already spoke about women’s History month which, being non binary but born a female genetically really causes me to have complicated feelings that I can’t seem to find the words for.

Women’s History Month

I do think there are many people who do not identify as female who should be recognized as great and as having done important things in their lives (even if they were not born female and even if they are cis-gender males).

I also think it’s important to recognize all of the good work women once a year, but it feels like something that should be recognized every day or at least more often than once a year.

National Social Work month and national Ethics month

These months are very important to me being that I am a social work major, doing my internship in social work and bound by a necessary code of ethics.

I know many people have misconceptions and fears regarding social workers, and the ones that usually come to mind are foster care and Department of Children and Families (called different things in different states/ countries) social workers, but there are so many different types of social workers that are necessary in all different fields

There are school social workers at all levels of education even College/ University as some people call it, there are social workers in hospitals, in the military, as counselors and therapists, helping I n the front line with community advocacy (my interests) and just so many other places.

They are even starting to bring social workers into summer camps. This is a necessary profession and they work hard for their many clients and often get paid less than they deserve. That is true of many fields sadly (like teachers for example).

A little side note on Ethics…

Ethics are important in every area of life, not just in social work, but I just pair the 2 together because that is how it is relevant to my current life.

You need ethics though in every thing you do. Everyone needs to live following certain values (some of mine are) honesty, reliability, compassion, and integrity), or codes of conduct (a couple of mine are (no breaking boundaries people set up, or no stealing even if you can get away with it).

If you do not have any positive ethics you live by,  you may not always notice any repercussions, but others will take note of how you treat them and the world around you.

If you behave too with too much toxicity, illegally, or against common morals like no stealing or cheating, you will hurt others and those others may get to a point where they don’t put up with it anymore.

They may finally leave, stop associating with you, or worse in some cases depending on how hurt they get. That’s why it’s important to have some set of positive ethics and values.

Disability awareness month and developmental disability awareness month.

I have mentioned In previous blogs that I struggle with autism which is one of the Developmental disabilities. I also have an upcoming appointment to see if I have adult ADD as I fit many of the symptoms.

I am not self diagnosed, or self diagnosing, just recognizing the symptoms that fit me that may signal that I have it. In any case, I know how difficult it can be living life with an invisible disability like Autism.

While I do not know what it’s like to have a physical disability or any kind other than developmental, I do recognized the struggles people with all kinds of disabilities go through.

I want to say that today should not just be about all of the negative stuff about disabilities, though there is definitely still work that needs to be done toppling systems of oppression and with treating us as full human beings with our own rights and like we have value, and are normal human beings, not just burdens to be shown pity.

Today should also be about recognizing all of the achievements people with various disabilities have made, all of the capabilities we have and the work that has already been done to get us to more of a place of equality.

Irish American and Greek American Heritage months

I put Irish American and Greek American heritage months just because those are two of the places my ancestors came from that also showed up on my 23 and me test (lot of Irish, little bit of Greek).

It may be difficult for people who aren’t American to understand why those 23 and me tests about genetic heritage are so important, and maybe it’s hard for Americans who aren’t just me, maybe it’s just a me thing, but it feels like nearly all of my ancestors did not originate in the Americas more than a few hundred years ago.

My existence is mainly due to the damaging effects of colonialism. I do not feel any kind of grief over that, as I naturally benefit from colonialism just due to my white privilege (which is messed up that the world works like that). I do, however, feel like I am without my own culture.

I feel somewhat aligned with a United States of America culture, but it is nothing like it was before I actually became an adult and learned about all of the damaging effects settlers and conquers had on the land, native inhabitants, and the slaves they brought from Africa.

It feels like people from like Ireland or Greece whose families have lived there for centuries have an actual national culture they can draw from. I have a family culture and a work culture, and while I’m sure I do have some positive aspects of my national culture, it seems harder to find, so I appreciate my anceators’ cultures and the genes that make up my human body.

A note real quick

I don’t want anyone ashamed of their culture or heritage, there has been countless times infinity numbers if atrocities and senseless violence committed all over the world and by all kinds of people.

In some ways it seems that’s the dark side of humanity that exist a tiny bit in all of us.

But there is nothing anyone can change about the past especially not the past they did not live in. That does not, however mean that we should not try to change the way these opeessive systems and people in power act today while we are alive and able to stand up for equality, equity, and human rights for all.

We should always, no matter who we are, take note of things like our privileges, our biases even unconscious or implicit ones.

We should also actively work to erase these biases and conduct ourselves in a way that allows us to work as allies and accomplices to people in marginalized groups.

Finally we step back at key moments to raise their voices and to share their stories.

Intersectionalities

It is important to remember that there are certain intersectional idednitities that exist within a person’s identity as well that either oppress them greater or give them more privilege in more areas

A good example I recently heard if is regarding the health of black trans women. It goes like this…

While white women face health disparities because they are women, they do not face these disparities (inequality treatment based on bias factors) because they are white, just because they are women.

At the same time black women face greater health disparities because they are black and they are women which are two groups affected by bias and health disparities.

Finally we come to black trans women who have a triple whammy so to speak and face greater disparities than both white cis women and black cis women.

Sorry, I got off track…

But I felt it was an important tangent and topic to mention.

Cerebral Palsy and Multiple Sclerosis Awareness months

I am only going to talk about this briefly because I have no personal experience with these disabilities, but I have met people living their lives every day who have cerebral palsy, and who have some stage of multiple sclerosis and they are some of the most determined and amazing people I have ever met. They don’t let anything or anyone stop them from their missions or goals.

I know this disability comes with challenges and I can only imagine what internal feelings people with cerebral palsy, or multiple sclerosis have, or the feelings their loved ones have, but I know it also does damage to people if you pity them or see them as less than a person just because they have a disability like cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis

I do feel that research and work is still necessary to help people with cerebral palsy, but not because having a disability should be considered the worse thing in the world, wrong or any kind of other negative reason people either look down on people with disabilities.

I do however know that if we can do something to reduce the suffering people with disabilities like cerebral palsy go through we should try.

Multiple sclerosis definitely needs a cure or at least a way to stop it from progressing. I was told by one of the people I know that not everyone ends up with no mobility, but such a thing did happen to the other person with it that I know.

Again I don’t know what it’s like, but I know some people with disabilities of any kind feel some ill effects or stress as a result of their disabilities, or how they are treated because of them.

National Nutrition month

This observance, though healthy nutrition is the foundation of a healthy life in all other areas, I have always struggled with this and with having a healthy relationship with food.

Having an eating disorder (binge eating disorder) and diabetes type 2 makes it hard to eat healthy.

The eating disorder makes me want to eat everything all the time, and with the diabetes stuff that is normally healthy, or not that much of a problem like a couple bananas at breakfast or a glass of juice, could send my sugar spiking too high.

I have for the past couple of months though, been taking a more intentional effort to eat with balanced nutrition that will work for my diabetes and help me get back to my blood sugar levels before I got diabetes.

There are a few other observances that made my list, but they are about issues that are very personal to me that I want to give their own blog posts too.

So I hope you had a marvelous March and I will be back next time bringing you important information and, or comedic relief!