Coming Soon
I was watching the TV last night and a commercial came on for a new movie that was coming out soon. And the words flashed on the screen ONLY IN THEATERS. If it was 2019, I would have not thought much of the trailer, because I’d long come to accept that my theater days are over and I’d just have to make a note in my mythical tickle file of movies I’d like to see when they come to pay-per-view, or HBO or Netflix or whatever PLUS I was subscribing to at the unknown date in the future. There’d be a moment of sadness of course if it was something I really wanted to see, but I’d soon forget about it when the show returned and I was once again lost in the illusion of the world at large that I was no longer a part of.
But for many people, the pandemic opened a door to an unprecedented number of new online opportunities. It demonstrated that we could have a competent mobile workforce in many fields, we could have live streaming concerts, movie premiers and more grocery delivery options that certainly made life easier for housebound disabled individuals.
I am not grateful for the pandemic. I’m sangry (😢😠) that we as a society have designed a universe that caters to the a section of the population while ignoring the needs of many. Needs that we have demonstrated can be met through creative solutions that are not only cost effective but profitable for business and industry. But instead of looking at the nuggets we’ve learned during our time in quarantine, some businesses are rushing to put faces behind desks instead of exploring hybrid models. Bands are busy back on tour, which is what the fans have missed and mutually longed for, but I believe there’s an untapped source for additional income and indeed the ability to reach more people if we bring some of what we learned about streaming content, or zoom fan meet and greets ($$$) and couple that with the re-entry into traditional in person events.
Admittedly, when I saw the commercial last night that ended with IN THEATERS ONLY a wave of sadness came through my body as I realized the days of being able to participate in the world at large were for me, coming to an end. Even the home health company sent an email stating they were withdrawing from the home doctor model — one that was set up to provide the optimum liaison between my long standing primary physician and doctors who made house calls in my area. Deep sigh.
There is no part of me that is sad the pandemic is coming to an end, I actually pray it IS coming to an end and we are not headed to an even worse next stage because of the willful ignorance of some to not vaccinate or wear a mask. I do hope that as we take some time to look at what life could be moving forward, that we consider bringing elements such as remote worker contributions or delivery services of all kinds or other ways that technology brought us TOGETHER while we were physically apart. I hope we can incorporate some of what we learned and remember that not everyone is able to resume life in the world at large and even though our illness may be invisible, we are still very much part of the tapestry of the 21st Century.
Which brings me a long about way to Disability PRIDE month. An opportunity to open our eyes and openly discuss who we are within and outside of the context of disabled sentient beings. It’s a time we can acknowledges the dignity and worth of all human beings. It’s an opportunity for us to lift one another, shine a spotlight on those disabled people who are often forgotten, marginalized or discriminated against. A time for us to reflect what it means to be disabled, especially if we’ve spent much of our lives resisting the word for whatever reason our ego told us differently.
To be clear, it’s okay not to be happy about being disabled, a lot of people have a hard time wrapping their head around that. Even our friends of long standing may have a difficult time trying to understand why we still may prefer to sit and chat rather than go out for an Instagram worthy night on the town. However we choose to celebrate PRIDE Disability Month from a very personal expression to participating in the virtual parades each of us deserves to be heard, loved (instead of penalized for marriage) and cared for in whatever way, shape or form that looks like for us in this moment.
