It’s the day before PIP: Take Two…
I was nerve-wracked before, but now I’m just mad. My 2 large packets of paperwork are ready. I have everything I can think of set – frankly still basically in place since last week – and I’m ready to be irritated and bored by an inebriated idiot who probably doesn’t know much… if they’re anything like that last one I saw, that is.
After the cancellation of the last one, my life went crashing into a tailspin, exploding into all kinds of awful things. It’s basically been a living nightmare for the past five days, and I can only dearly hope that with this finally over with, I can relax a little and get on with still learning how to walk with wheels.
Yesterday, it got a little better… I went to see my sister in Southport and had a good time wheeling around and chariot-racing with the dog all along the prom, gardens, and down the pier – it was definitely something the people of Southport had not seen before! It was a good day out that was more like “me” and I was able to be pretty much completely indipendent, or the dog helped me out. We all had dinner together in the evening in a lovely place called the Fisherman’s Rest, then made the long journey home.
It was the first time in a very long time I’d had a long, successful and fun day out somewhere. It was also the first time my new chariot – my Firefly – had been on a big outing, and she did very well, and I’m really pleased with her. That paid it forward to today, where I had a fairly relaxed but active day. I have much more confident in my little Firefly, and I managed to do a scary thing (which normal people don’t find scary) – which is to see my cousisn’s little baby. Babies scare me, so to meet one, see one, hold one, as a practice before becoming an aunt for the first time, took courage. With my Firefly I had the confidence to do this, and met the baby and her three-year-old older brother… who’s a little maniac and so fun to play with!
To end my evening, before having to face the long night ahead before this awful thing tomorrow, I watched the movie Hidden Figures, which completely blew me away – especially since the story was based around real people and things that really happened. It was terribly inspiring, shocking and heartbreaking, as well as utterly astounding and amazing… and I love the fact it literally took a woman to get a man into space – and to the moon.
To see other women work so hard to trailblaze their way into computer programming, aeronautical engineering, Astro-physics, complex mathematics, over 50 years ago was simply amazing. It was also heartbreaking to watch the horror of segregation they had in America back then… As a Londoner living amongst everyone in a melting-pot, it’s simply unthinkable. As a girl who was never encouraged at school to push for maths or had an opportunity to study computers, to see those who had gone before burning their way into this world right at the top, it’s so encouraging, helping to feel like there really is a place for me in such a world. I’m no savant genius like they were, but I’m capable, and got jobs in IT people that far more “qualified” for it than I was on paper were overlooked for. Being able to do it without formal training is pretty lucky – and then I also get to thinking what I might have been capable of if everything that occurred, well, hadn’t.
In a way, because of the last couple of days, I’m going to this appointment feeling a little more like myself again. I’m relieved at that I will have this form on control – I have dyed my hair, I’ve been out [properly] for an active, full day-out for the first time, and I’ve had good and nutritious food, and I’ve had a far more relaxing night than the last time. I do feel like I’ll have a little more control when I go, at least… so I hope that is something in my favour.
I’m not happy about going at all, but at the end of the day I’m hugely worse than I was when I first ever saw PIP, which must be nearly 2 years ago now. Their original assessment no longer stands, so they really should be documenting that… if they possibly can… I think it’s quite clear what level of esteem I have for these people!
… So… Wish me luck!
