Crippled by a Glimpse...

Have you ever tried to understand or imagine our planet by just glimpsing at a globe?  It's impossible to comprehend such a magnitude in such a short time so why do we try the same with people?

For instance, sixteen year old Violet, new to her school and crippled with only one foot, she knows that every time someone sees her, they will almost always try to imagine what she must be going through. Those people are almost always wrong. Violet lost her right foot when she was hiking six years back, she slipped near the top of a fairly tall mountain and the damage was so severe doctors couldn't do anything.

Even without a foot, she stood tall and beautiful. Her sleek, dark hair reached just past her shoulders. Kind, emerald eyes and well rounded figure made her almost irresistible. It was the incomplete leg that scared the crowds.

Violet could never understand why people were so fearful of her, she didn't snarl at anyone and she was certainly very friendly whenever someone asked her for anything.

Being disabled was only good for a few things like easy parking for her mum, but when it came down to living normally, by going out to clubs, doing sport and being in the school play, Violet wasn't the happiest crayon in the box.

She could participate in the odd sport like swimming and archery but acting was really her dream. She loved going to the Playhouse and reading Athol Fuguard but there was never a chance to be onstage, until her school had a talk on the subject of safety.

Having heard it a thousand times before when she was still able to hike, she zoned out.

No one had ever heard about her accident, nobody really cared before.  No one knew that the emerald-eyed girl had been sporty and adventurous before her wheelchair - if there was a before in their eyes. No one had asked, until the Safety Officer she called Mom asked her to share.

If I die young

Just listen to the lyrics.. that's all I'm saying.

Lifelong Friends

Basically the source of my childhood fun; what reflects, what doesn't; what happens when you paint it; why's it so cold; can my cat see himself in him; who's that person always staring back at me, isn't that rude.
When i got older. he did get rude. Started calling me fat with a big nose and lots of acne. He had cracks in his view of me, sometimes he thought i was pretty and other times he changed his mind halfway through tell me.

For some reason I kept going back to him for I thrived on his opinion of me. I felt insecure without it, even more when I did have it.

Don't get me wrong, he's an amazing friend at most, he shows me when i have food stuck in my teeth, he helps me find where my make-up's smudged, he even laughs and cries with me.

My mirror & I are quite inseparable.

Change Your Words

Last Post I Promise!

ok so if you want to see the other winners of the night go to

www.crawfordecho.com

its rad. try it

Monday Blues

The sadness and sheer desperation when you wake up Monday morning and find that you're at the same stale desk, doing the same mundane task AND YOU HATE IT!

So why do you do it? Why did you chose a career that you hate? Don't hate the world because YOU made the wrong decision.

Sometimes you don't get a choice though. maybe you're still a minor that has to go to school. Be grateful. There are so many children out there that are: child slaves, factory workers, innocent prostitutes, virgin wives, guerrilla fighters and most saddening - to me at least - there are children out there that are struggling to stay alive everyday because of malnutrition, dehydration and famine and the last thing they'll ever receive is an education.

In my country - and perhaps more worldwide - the families that have 2 or more children and only one pair of shoes. The education is free but they arent allowed to arrive at school without proper uniform and unfortunately they have to take turns in wearing the shoes so that they might go to school.

In South Africa, we have a growing nation full of young leaders that thrive on the kinds of opportunities we get. I recently had the opportunity to meet a group of a dozen students from our poorer districts that, after years of struggling with a lack of money for a full education at university, they've been given the opportunity to study medicine in Cuba. The faces of proud parents and overwhelmed students that have never seen an airport before let alone a different country. It was life changing.

The fact that you're reading this blog already tells me that you have enough money to explore the internet and at leisure which should mean that you can afford atleast two pairs of shoes and you can also read which is more than alot of african COUNTRIES!!! Yes whole countries will go without even primary education.

Feeling guilty yet? I hope so. Next time you have the MondayBlues because you have to go to work for a living, think about those thousands of people that would die to be in your shoes...

Toms Shoes: one for one

Where is the Love?

So this is the Black Eyed Peas back less than a decade ago, do you think they still remember what they used to sing about now that they're singing of good nights with twisted microphones.

Even the good go bad and its just like they say those with an innocent heart will go astray while the guilty concience is lead to the churchyard.