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| All Abilities Day event leads to a shift in my own abilities. An image of the “Big Brian” from the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. |
As the special education representative for my children’s middle school, I took on the challenge of managing an event called All Abilities Day. This is a time where students rotated through 3 stations of “disabilities” to get a glimpse of the experience of someone else’s life. The day chosen in February was cancelled due to weather. It was the “one day of the year (so far)” forecast to have massive thunderstorm activity. The event was re-scheduled to May 2nd. Needless to say, this was the complete opposite weather, as it was 97 degrees at the height of the day.
Because I had spear-headed the event for the past two years at my child’s elementary school, I was aware of the energy level I was to experience. Oddly enough, those two past years were also rain days and were able to keep me cool during the day. At 97 degrees, this year was not the case. The event took place the entire school day, and at the last period, I began to have symptoms that I had not experienced before. I had been walking the campus back and forth, from the outdoor blazing heat, to the indoor air-conditioned multi-purpose room. The symptoms were that of heat exhaustion.
Having these symptoms forced me to relinquish my control of the event to another volunteer. Thankfully, I had a very well-versed on this event volunteer at this last period. I had to sit in the shade and rest. I knew that if I did not allow myself to take that time, my symptoms could get worse, even leading to passing out. As the representative of this event, I made a wise decision not to let myself pass-out.
The days that followed were interesting. Trying to do my normal day-to-day functions, with my typical energy level was challenging. I was still having symptoms a week later and was surprised at how long it took my body to recover.
Here is what I discovered. This event is one of my passions, a creation that I feel so strongly about. If I do not cultivate my entire Being completely, those passions will fall short of manifestation. Mind, Body, Spirit work is just that. I know Spirit. I know Mind. I am not as familiar with Body. This was a call to order for me. If I do not want to complete the cycle of Wholeness, I can continue to ignore the necessity of this human vehicle. To be Whole, I must recognize the gift of this human body and not take it for granted. Ironically, this is one of the messages I am trying to bring to students in All Abilities Day. I have also been asking for prayer in this area, praying for stamina and vitality to keep up with my son’s Boy Scout activities. Attempting to create awareness for others, allowed me to create awareness in myself. Sometimes prayers are answered in a wake-up call.