Comments on: The little train that could http://workingwithchronicillness.com/2007/04/13/58/ Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:09:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Rosalind http://workingwithchronicillness.com/2007/04/13/58/#comment-953 Rosalind Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:54:27 +0000 http://keepworkinggirlfriend.com/2007/04/13/58/#comment-953 Dear Nancy - You are so right that we can ask for help and appreciate it when it's given. It's just not always easy. I also appreciate your comments around the difficulties that people of different race or ethnicity (and I'd add economic class) would encounter. As we know, it just ain't a fair or just world. Warmly, Rosalind Dear Nancy - You are so right that we can ask for help and appreciate it when it’s given. It’s just not always easy. I also appreciate your comments around the difficulties that people of different race or ethnicity (and I’d add economic class) would encounter. As we know, it just ain’t a fair or just world. Warmly, Rosalind

]]> By: Nancy Wechsler http://workingwithchronicillness.com/2007/04/13/58/#comment-800 Nancy Wechsler Mon, 16 Apr 2007 02:51:12 +0000 http://keepworkinggirlfriend.com/2007/04/13/58/#comment-800 While sticking to all my own feminist and other progressive values, who ever really said that to be a feminist meant we could never ask for help, even from a man? If we are in a position of needing help-- on the train, trying to get on the train, dealing with luggage, dealing with anything heavy or out of reach, I have found people-- men and women, to be more than willing to take a break from their busy schedule to help out. It makes it possible for us to go places and do things, and it makes others actually feel good that they were able to help a complete stranger. We still live in a world, I believe, where people do want to help each other if given the chance. There is no harm in asking, and if at that moment they are really in a rush and can't help, well maybe someone else who heard you ask for help in a friendly upbeat way will jump in and say "oh-- I can do that, glad to help." In the early days of feminism, which is why I even brought it up, we used to feel if a man opened a door for us they were being patronizing and saying we were not able to open it ourselves, and I agree that that kind of patronizing we don't need. But it isn't being anti-feminist if we recognize our own limitations as we get older or more disabled, and ask for help, and find some good human being more than ready and willing to help us. In the end it makes us all better people. What really counts for me around feminism, is not whether I let a man open a door for me, but his politics on affirmative active, reproductive rights, disability rights, dismantling of gender roles, funding for girls and women's athletics, and whether they would treat all women equally friendly. In other words, I am white. Would they be as willing and open to helping out a woman who is black, or latina, or Indian, or any other race or ethnicity? While sticking to all my own feminist and other progressive values, who ever really said that to be a feminist meant we could never ask for help, even from a man? If we are in a position of needing help– on the train, trying to get on the train, dealing with luggage, dealing with anything heavy or out of reach, I have found people– men and women, to be more than willing to take a break from their busy schedule to help out. It makes it possible for us to go places and do things, and it makes others actually feel good that they were able to help a complete stranger. We still live in a world, I believe, where people do want to help each other if given the chance. There is no harm in asking, and if at that moment they are really in a rush and can’t help, well maybe someone else who heard you ask for help in a friendly upbeat way will jump in and say “oh– I can do that, glad to help.” In the early days of feminism, which is why I even brought it up, we used to feel if a man opened a door for us they were being patronizing and saying we were not able to open it ourselves, and I agree that that kind of patronizing we don’t need. But it isn’t being anti-feminist if we recognize our own limitations as we get older or more disabled, and ask for help, and find some good human being more than ready and willing to help us. In the end it makes us all better people. What really counts for me around feminism, is not whether I let a man open a door for me, but his politics on affirmative active, reproductive rights, disability rights, dismantling of gender roles, funding for girls and women’s athletics, and whether they would treat all women equally friendly. In other words, I am white. Would they be as willing and open to helping out a woman who is black, or latina, or Indian, or any other race or ethnicity?

]]> By: Jackie http://workingwithchronicillness.com/2007/04/13/58/#comment-759 Jackie Sat, 14 Apr 2007 16:57:55 +0000 http://keepworkinggirlfriend.com/2007/04/13/58/#comment-759 Hello Rosalind: I enjoyed your story because I related to it! Is this you? This quote specifically struck me because you basically summed up my life since diagnosis of MS. I never do things on my own and I don't attend events unless I have to. But this gave me a little hope that someone else felt exactly as I did and pushed through it! "I was the mom who didn’t attend events unless I had to and didn’t do things on my own because I never knew when my body would let me down. I tried hard not to go anywhere without a car because that gave me freedom of movement." That is me! But thanks for the story. It's inspiring and I'll remember it. Jackie Hello Rosalind: I enjoyed your story because I related to it! Is this you? This quote specifically struck me because you basically summed up my life since diagnosis of MS. I never do things on my own and I don’t attend events unless I have to. But this gave me a little hope that someone else felt exactly as I did and pushed through it!

“I was the mom who didn’t attend events unless I had to and didn’t do things on my own because I never knew when my body would let me down. I tried hard not to go anywhere without a car because that gave me freedom of movement.”

That is me! But thanks for the story. It’s inspiring and I’ll remember it. Jackie

]]> By: Peter Ericson http://workingwithchronicillness.com/2007/04/13/58/#comment-757 Peter Ericson Sat, 14 Apr 2007 14:37:42 +0000 http://keepworkinggirlfriend.com/2007/04/13/58/#comment-757 Wow. I have to admit my eyes watered up on that... great story. I am going to pass your site on to starprogram.net who's mission it is to help high school students with CI here in the Upper Valley of NH. Wow. I have to admit my eyes watered up on that… great story. I am going to pass your site on to starprogram.net who’s mission it is to help high school students with CI here in the Upper Valley of NH.

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