Odd World.

People never cease to amaze me.

I've been accused by another Stroke Survivor of 'cheapening the impact' of strokes. More, "my overly positive portrayal of of the aftermath of strokes undermines disability issues" she goes on "how are we supposed to push forward the necessary changes in disability issues if you put an unnecessary positive spin on recovery?"

So I challenged her "How so? Stroke affects different people in different ways. The brain is a complex organ. Every stroke is different, I should know, I've had many."

"Yes", she replied. "I'm aware of that, but the disabilities can be crushing, the impact devastating, and depression invariably follows. If we duck away from that, we undermine a better deal for the cared for and the carers"

Ah. Now. Depression can affect anyone. But it's treatable, it's a mental illness with many causes. Mental illness is a different subject really. It, like any other mental illness, has a stigma attached to it (wrongly). I personally don't do it. Grumpy, yup. Depression, no. And it certainly isn't 'invariable'.

I'm lucky enough to look quite 'normal' . Hard to tell, admittedly. I look like a refugee from ZZ-Top. With a bit more white hair (I went grey in my 20's) But I'm working on that. I'm not going to go out of my way to spell out my disabilities, because I can't see that being productive. I prefer to refer to disadvantages only if I can offer solutions.

The Cause?. Ah, the 'disability movement'. I'm all for causes. Sometimes you have to bang on the door, ring on the bell, and rattle your ratchet and lobby at the gates of parliament for something you believe in. I'm o.k. with that. But I think being extreme just turns people away from any cause you're trying to promote.

I love colour, change, and the just plain silly. But you don't have a go at those with a similar heart, and, I'm gobsmacked that I could be pulled up for being positive.

I had no idea anyone can be "too positive". Blimey.