A little Christmas Nostalgia


 
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Picture shows a small gift wrapped in brown paper and tied with a jute string, pine branches with bright red berries nestled in them, a small red Santa’s cap and some spices. They are artistically laid out on a wood background

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Picture shows a small gift wrapped in brown paper and tied with a jute string, pine branches with bright red berries nestled in them, a small red Santa’s cap and some spices. They are artistically laid out on a wooden background 


At this time every year, I always get a little nostalgic thinking of Christmas past as memories of wondrous childhood seasons of carols and cards and trees and family are rekindled. 

There was never anything grandiose about Christmas in our home – it was just simple decorations and some lights strung up around the house, a warm little live tree in the corner of the living room, Christmas cards put up every which creative way we could think of, delicious hearty food involving the Christmas pig of course and Mum’s cakes. The Christmas lights would blink out often and the tree would sometimes start shedding midway through causing a lot of stress and grief, but Jim Reeves crooning favourite Christmas songs on our beloved gramophone soothed nerves and made everything alright. 

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Keeping Christmas

Pine cones and red Christmas baubles lying on a bed of green pine needles
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Pine cones and bright red Christmas baubles lying on a bed of green pine needles in a clay pot


We are in the thick of Christmas season once again. The trees are up, the lights and stars twinkling in our homes and streets and shops and Christmas songs playing everywhere you go. There’s that bustle of activity in the air with shopping, decorating, wrapping gifts, visiting, baking cakes and cookies, planning get-togethers with family and friends, attending parties and so on. We say Christmas is for children and pretend that we do whatever we do for our children. But, admit it, even as adults we love Christmas. We may complain loudly about the stress of the preparations, but we find ourselves becoming more and more excited as the day draws near and the decorations begin to appear. I also tend to tear up easily this time of year as memories of Christmas past are triggered at every turn.
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My life is disabled by my environment

WHY ACCESSIBILITY MATTERS

IMAGE DESCRIPTION
I am sitting on my wheelchair looking up at a long flight of stairs which is the only entrance into the office building of the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare in Nagaland.


So, when was the last time you had to turn back without getting your work done because you couldn’t get into an office building? Or decline an invitation to an event or missed out on a celebration because the venue was inaccessible? Have you ever been unable to go to school, college or go shopping because there was no ramp or a washroom you could use? These are just a few scenarios faced by wheelchair users on a daily basis. There are many, many more – too many to list here.
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A loveliness of ladybirds



Did you know a group of ladybirds is called a ‘loveliness’?

Yes, that’s right…..a ‘loveliness’ of ladybirds. It turns out that the collective noun for these cute polka-dotted beetles is ‘loveliness’.
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The Disability Vote matters!

Quote by Martin Luther King on the right to vote


“Vote as if your life depends on it - because it DOES!” - this was famously said by Justin Dart, the man often considered the father of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This is especially true for People with Disabilities. Every policy decision that impact their lives are influenced by whom we elect - from employment to transportation, to the funding of health programmes and social security, accessibility and so on and so forth. Yet, ironically, majority of People with Disabilities are unable to exercise their fundamental right to vote.
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Going grey and lovin’ it!





Grey! When it comes to hair, it’s the dreaded colour, right? Few of us welcome it and we reach for the dye immediately as soon as the silver strands start to appear.

I did that too and I don’t even know why. I’ve never been interested in colouring my hair nor ever had the patience to sit through the process. But when the greys started to show up thick and fast, I turned to the dye answer without question. There you go, that’s classic herd behaviour for you! Most people are doing it so I just went with the flow and did it too.
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Season of Hope



Spring is such a beloved season. It’s called the season of hope and that’s an apt description. It is indeed a hopeful season when everything seems possible.
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