Comments on: On Brokenness

By: Traveller

Traveller — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 01:37:33 +0000

TABS — Temporarily Able Bodied. A lot folks are TABS until they age. Then everyone gets something.

By: Arielle

Arielle — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 01:46:28 +0000

I’m going through dealing with back spasms right now and a sprained ankle and this struck home–and is helpful. My back problems actually will probably not be chronic yet (knock on wood) but the sprained ankle… when people ask if the back spasms contributed to that I just go “well, I’ve always been clumsy.” And I always have. My knees are broken down, I roll my ankles constantly. My doctors keep going “you’re only 31, you shouldn’t be having these issues” and I was internalizing that. I was crying over how “broken” I was becoming, how I was “too young” for that, how “weak” I was.

But, you know, bodies break down over time. It happens. I might beat this back problem now, but I bet in 20 years it’ll come around again. It’s good to keep in mind.

I don’t tend to throw out broken things. I can’t afford to. I fix them so they’re workable and go on–not perfect, but workable. Sometimes, I accept the brokenness of a thing and deal with it. And I should learn to do that with my body. Some parts of it I can fix, some I cannot. And that’s okay.

By: Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt

Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 20:14:26 +0000

I’m broken. A work of art ravaged by the passage of time and the accidents of life and CFS and a spinal fusion which didn’t help much.

I am fortunate to live quietly in my little hole, not going out much because there is no energy for such extras, writing when I can lasso my brain and make it work for a while.

I do the restorative things I can do – and I don’t worry about the fact that I can’t do them for long. Or that they hurt. It is in MY interest to maintain as much mobility as I can, so I fight for it – but I’m also the one who suffers the pain of doing so.

Balance, balance, balance – all day long, and sometimes all night long.

I would rather climb Mt. Everest, but it isn’t going to be a choice I get.

Keep writing – it keeps us sane during this thing we call Life. We are all broken – but some of us are more conscious of this, and are doing what we can for our selves.

Alicia

By: Jesse the K

Jesse the K — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 18:05:53 +0000

I appreciate this new perspective. Because “broken” doesn’t respond to a cure. When we’re broken, it’s time to inventory what’s at hand and rebuild.

By: Emily Ladau

Emily Ladau — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 15:21:26 +0000

I really needed to read this right now. Thank you for this.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 13:03:50 +0000

The idea of reclaiming this word is a very interesting one that I look forward to thinking about. I’ve had mixed reactions to reclamation. Queer works for me. Bitch, slut, and other gendered slurs firmly Do. Not. Crazy and mad I use in my head with my partner and one other very close friend. I do not use it with others outside those close to me because they confuse it with license to say it themselves since those words are so culturally common. In my life, the correct terms or diagnostic labels have been much more damaging than the reclaimed words.

Broken. What resonates about this is that it seems that you are describing a deep level acceptance that honors the way things are instead of the constant struggle to return things to what they once were or to what society calls “normal.” There is a very peaceful feeling that comes with this, if I am understanding you correctly.

This might be one of those reclamations that can help a lot with internalized ableism.