Beth writes

Tag: inspiring

  • Beth tells all – five things that shaped my life

    girl in pastel dress with hairbow sits on floor

    Okay, this won’t be telling all but I hope some will find out more about me I think. Here come five things that shaped my life.

    1. As a child I read a lot of books and was always imagining. Books were like a lifeline for me, where I could escape on magical adventures. I was always having ideas for poems, stories, songs and plays in my head. So that is where I got my love of writing from.
    2. When I was 15, I was in intensive care on life support for 2 months. It took some work to get the images and sounds of the machines out of my head. I turned the trauma into an art piece at university – for which I got a B.
    3. I only passed my GCSE’s with 3 c’s – and got E’s for maths and science having to resit. The rest of my grades were between C and E. And I scraped through my university degree with a 2-2. So while the others were celebrating their exam results, it was harder for me. How did this shape me? It reinforced my ideas of what I was good at, and what not so.
    4. Having to face a lot of social rejection and bullying has made me more adamant to fight this. I have been quite vocal for disability and lgbtq inclusion, and challenging hate during my life.
    5. When I was 13 I found a local am dram group and joined for the pantomime. Acting has always been something I absolutely love. What a surprise I got with a birthday in pantomime week though. I got pulled back on for the birthday song.

  • I’m not a victim – a poem

    I wrote this as a way of addressing how disabled people are treated. We are often looked down on, seen as victims or vulnerable, and easy to bully.

    Inspirational life quote created using scrabble pieces
    Photo by Alesia Kozik on Pexels.com

    I’m not a victim, I come back fighting,

    And I can pulverize the persecutors,

    I’ve eaten bullies for breakfast before,

    And if you dare degrade me, I will destroy.

    And I’m not a charity case for carers,

    I’m a human being with heart and hope.

    I’ll burn bridges before you cause harm,

    So don’t patronize me, I’m not pathetic,

    And if you think I’m thick, then fluff off.

  • 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.

  • 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.