Beth writes

Author: Beth Blogs

  • Joking round

    Those who know me know I have a talent for making corny dad jokes. In fact, I just managed to persuade a cracker company to use three of them in social media promotions.

    I don’t claim the ones below are all my own work but here comes some howlers, or groaners.

    Why did the farmer cross the road? To get back the chicken

    What do you get if you cross a troll and a dragon? I’d get as far away as possible before it gets mad.

    Why did the policeman take his work to bed? He wanted to work under the covers.

    Doctor Doctor, I feel like am artificial intelligence
    Any intelligence with you would be good!

    How many ears does Spock have? A left ear, right ear and final frontier.

    Why did the student hide under their desk during class?

    So the teacher couldn’t teach them a lesson.

  • You matter

    I know this sounds a bit redundant, right? How do I even know you?

    But here’s what I do know – everyone matters.

    It’s hard to see this with our own eyes when we’ve been fed a lot of negativity and rejection, but it is true.

    Even if you feel you aren’t achieving anything, you still matter.

    I’ve seen a lot of the dark places where anxieties wreck the brain. I am still working my way through dark areas while others get along fine. Deep down, the message is there like a gentle whisper in the back of my mind, that I matter.

    And that’s why I say you do too. We all matter, and none of us are alone as we feel.

  • Success – not just a buzz word

    Success means you reached some form of goal, whether small or big. Cambridge dictionary describes this as “the achieving of the results wanted or hoped for”. I think that may be the basics.

    How do you measure success?

    To some it’s about reaching a specific goal. It means the product gets sold, the novel is published, the crisis averted, your team won the game!

    To others it’s about just managing to get through another day without a heavy breakdown, or going to bed at a specific time.

    So success depends on the individual.

  • 10 things I wish others knew about disability

    • Not all disabilities are visible – if someone is claiming benefits and unable to work, it is likely there is a good reason.
    • A disabled person may feel more able to do a job one day, than they are another
    • If you want to get disabled people working, the first step should be to change society’s perception of them. As have said in previous posts- the only way many disabled can get jobs is through specialist disabled employment agencies.
    • Just because am disabled doesn’t mean you can help without offering and the help being accepted first. Don’t automatically help as it takes away my independence.
    • Disabled people are under-represented in media and frequently looked down on or disparaged by the right wing’s gutter press.
    • Please don’t talk to us differently, I hate people who are patronising or simpering just because I have a disability.
    • Managing a disability and everything in it is sometimes a full time job.
    • Just because one disabled person fits a certain stereotype does not mean the rest of us will.
    • Using ableist language or calling someone spastic/ retard is never okay.
    • Don’t comment on disability issues unless you understand what the disabled people are going through.

  • Jesus and LGBTQ+

    If you follow my blog already, you’ll have discovered I am part of the LGBT community. What I haven’t talked about yet is my experience with the church. This blog will be controversial.

    As a child I was part of church youth groups, and later read my bible cover to cover. In fact, I was so engaged in faith I was baptized and confirmed at 18. It felt like faith was the right direction for me. but I couldn’t find myself through normal Christianity. I expect the evangelist youth group I attended as a teenager would be disgusted at what I am now. But what about Jesus?

    When I red the Bible I saw Jesus as a man of compassion, love and mercy. He told his followers to welcome all in his name, instead of casting out vulnerable people. That is the Jesus I know and love. His final commandment was “love one another as I have loved you”.

    Now, people interpret the Bible different ways but can you really see what Jesus said and did differently? In my mind you can’t.

  • The importance of Inclusion

    Photo by Diva Plavalaguna on Pexels.com

    Some of you are already groaning, she is getting to get political I expect. Well, I certainly attend to look at the issue. Inclusion is something I have had mixed experiences with, mostly they were good though.

    So what does inclusion mean? So the work of inclusion is there so everyone can join who wants to. When this happens sometimes other people are pushed out, but that should not be how it works.

    So let’s look at an example.

    I want you to imagine that you are a child at new school. One of the popular kids in class is inviting everyone to a party, and they add you also. How is it going to feel?

    In reverse now we can all see exclusion. You live with a bunch of university mates who always go out. But you never get invited along, and if you ask they say you don’t fit. How do you think this feels?

    This should explain one reason inclusion is important.

  • Write your own story

    Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

    If you think this is about actually writing, you are wrong. Although writing is also a very good practice.

    So what am I on about? Life, identity, and setting your own path.

    You see society, family and others will try to fit us into particular moulds throughout our lives.

    The only one who should decide who we are though is us.

    So how do you find out who you are beneath the makeup? Are you ready to have a look in your internal mirror?

    I want you to stop reading for a minute, be in your thoughts and try to reflect on what you feel your purpose is. This might take more than a minute, and it would not be so effective for some in a loud environment.

    Perhaps go for a walk in the park and sit under a tree to think. Once you have figured out your purpose you know what sort of person you are.

    Let me end this thought with a quote from Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society

    “Carpe deum- cease the day.”

    And remember many of you can choose which path to take.

  • What’s so cool about Beth?

    Daily writing prompt
    What’s your favorite thing about yourself?
    View all responses
    Photo by Mike Murray on Pexels.com

    If I asked others what their favourite thing about me was, I’d get different responses, and I am probably one of my worst critics.

    Actually, I have two favourite thing s about myself – my energy for performing, and my creativity & imagination.

    These are the things that have always stood out.

    Without my writing stories from a young age my headmaster at junior school would never have seen my gift. He was so pleased that I got the school honour award. At the time I had just joined school late, after being put in a special needs class for a while. And I wasn’t like the other boys, didn’t have their energy. Discovering this gift meant I was recognised.

    My writing and creativity won several other awards and recognitions during my childhood. Probably my proudest one was a large Blue Peter badge (which I sold ten years ago for £25 on Ebay).

    With performing, I was able to show others what I could do. This still meant the other kids made life heck but also some of the teachers saw my gift.

    So those are two of my favourite things about myself.

  • Exit- followed by fall

    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    Acting has always been a part of my life. It’s one of those things that give me energy and drive.

    With that said, it shouldn’t surprise you that I went to college and university to study performing arts.

    Let’s fast forward to my first performance at university.

    Part of our set involved theatre blocks on top of each other. So, I finish a scene and am climbing up to the top block for the next part. However, I didn’t see someone else’s leg sticking out a bit and fell backwards.

    The fall didn’t hurt that much, bumped my head a bit. The stage crew were worried while I was laughing it off.

    After, the teacher asked everyone what had happened- why someone had missed their cue.

    I explained and said “It’s a reminder that I am not the real Buzz Lightyear and I cannot fly. The fall might have knocked some sense into me though.”

  • Passions

    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    The big passion in my life is social inclusion.

    As someone with learning disabilities, neurodiverse and transgender status I have seen a lot of exclusion.

    From a childhood being bullied at school, to a constant feeling of not fitting in anywhere, this is my world.

    The harsh truth is society doesn’t do enough to include diverse groups, and we are often not well represented in the media. I bet you would struggle to name more than one learning disabled actor or performer, right? Or a learning disabled character portrayed positively on screen or in a book?

    Transgender issues are equally problematic. I am grateful to have never struggled looking feminine, but others don’t have that. They receive a great amount of abuse, and frequently are rejected by their families are communities.

    There are other passions I have, but it feels like the fight for social inclusion is the big one. I’m also passionate about theatre, arts, creativity, mental health, social justice, and human rights.