Shadow Puppet Storyteller

"It's Like..."

Due to some introspection of late, I keep coming up with ideas for lists that could become huge research projects for a lifetime or two. The one that keeps creeping in would categorize non-fiction, literature and film that involve disabilities of all different types. Ultimately, it would be a searchable database. I've worked for several agencies that have had a start on such a monster of an undertaking. I remember receiving a phone query once for a young man who was looking to document all mentions of disability from music lyrics, and he wanted to know if I knew of any resources. Made my head spin imagining how one would start. I think I suggested the National Archives. Just the number of entries for "blind love" would be staggering, I remember thinking.

This has suddenly moved up in importance for me again due to wanting to relate clear examples to my now teen offspring. As much as I like writing and choosing just the right words to express, I am rarely concise. And it seems to be worse when I talk to people younger than me. Instead of assuming my youngest wants me to inflict upon her the endless list of films I love, I thought, "I need a place to catalog and summarize."

To be able to say simply, "It's like..." would be so much better than the way I usually preface all my big ideas. The main one that came to mind this morning was using the Academy Award winning film, My Left Foot to explain about poverty and working with what you've got. You have a backache and don't want to take your math test today? Well, my darling, "It's like that somedays," but you can't let too many days like that hold you down. "This bloke, he had control over only one foot, and he still grabbed life by the horns!"

Just one example.

I have more in mind.