REGRETS ANYONE?

Regrets anyone? Every now and then a few may creep up on me. I don't want to dwell on them. I'm sure that's not  healthy for anyone. You just have to move on.

One of my regrets was something that I wanted to do when I graduated from High School. Now that was a looong time ago. At the time, it meant the world to me in more ways than one. I had tunnel vision, a burning desire. I wanted to join the Peace Corp.

I was a freshman in H.S.  just when the Peace Corp started (1961). It was all I could think about.

No way my father would let me. He ALWAYS had the last word.

Then one day a Dominican Missionary Nun came to visit us in school to tell us all about the work they do in these poor countries. It sounded like the Peace Corp to me. 

I took all the leaflets she offered. One catch was, of course, to become a Dominican Nun! I was still fired up on doing this kind of work. I went home and thought about it.

Then prepared myself to show it to my parents.

You can imagine if the Peace Corps didn't go over well, this sure didn't. I kept all the material anyway and poured over it every now and then.

I took a summer job in a hospital, which by the way, was run by The Grey Nuns of the Cross. I worked in the emergency room. I loved it! My boss was a nun.

I told her about the Peace Corps and the missionary work. How I would have loved to make a contribution to improve the lives of others. Travel to Africa, Asia, and all these other countries. I told her my father's reactions. 

From that day on, she told me about her experiences and all the places she worked helping people. She said you don't have to go far to help others.

Well, to make a long story short I ended up becoming a Grey Nun of the Cross, with the intentions of becoming a nurse and helping others in that way. 

You guessed it, my father wasn't too happy with that either, but at least I wasn't in another country.

That was all a very long time ago! It wasn't the path that was meant for me.  I think the Grey Nuns wanted me to be a chef. They ended up sending me to a college in culinary arts. 

 I did become a nurse but did it on my own after leaving the convent. Got married, had two children, that I love dearly. Settled into a married life.

OPPORTUNITIES DO POP UP. Years later, when I was around 32 yrs. old, I became aware of the disabled and their problems in the community. THIS was my chance to finally be of service where I was desperately needed. 

I teamed up with a patient friend of mine, Laurence Curtis, who's a quadriplegic and together we did a study on how many disabled people were in this town and what their needs were. 

We ended up with a huge list. this was around 1982-83. Our work was cut out for us.

The town wanted a Committee to study and find ways to meet these needs. So Mr. Curtis and I got heavily involved.

Below are the Committees I myself was involved in.  Laurence curtis was involved in many more, some Commissions he incorporated himself. But that's his story to tell.

Advocate for people with disabilities:

--CAM: Since 1985, Certified Community Access Monitor by the State of Mass. Office on Disabilities(trained in the rules and regs of the Architectural Access Board (CMR 521) for community implementation and compliance).

--WCCD: Wilmington Committee for Citizens with Disabilities, Inc. (a consumer controlled 501(C) (3), charitable non-profit organization established to meet the needs of Wilmington's disabled pop.) Positions held: Board of Directors Secretary for one year, Vice-President for one year and President for two years.

--MVCDA: 1986 to it's incorporation (State 1989 and Federal 1991): The Merrimack Valley Coalition of Disabled Advocates is a 501 (c) (4), civic, non-profit organization representing the disabled citizens of the Merrimack Valley. Positions held: Board of Directors Secretary and Treasurer.

--TAAP: In 1983 I joined the State funded Transportation Advocacy Action Project, studying wheelchair accessible transportation, for greater knowledge regarding such.

--MCCD: 1983 to 1990: The Massachusetts Coalition of Citizens With Disabilities, Inc. is a Statewide 501 (C) (3), charitable, non-profit organization representing the disabled of Massachusetts.

--AIM: 1983 to it's incorporation to WCCD in 1985. In 1983, I joined a committee called Access Is Mandatory that was started a year earlier by the Selectman of the Town of Wilmington to study the situation regarding the disabled of Wilmington.

 It wasn't the Peace Corp, but it was an opportunity to help somewhere. At times, we may have been a bit radical, like when we were told that new sidewalks were installed without curb cuts. We got as many people, who use wheelchairs to get around, to gather at that intersection at 5 PM. This was the busiest time to block the street. We invited the press and the T.V. news anchors.  Of course they all showed up and you can bet curb cuts were put in the next day!

We worked a few years on getting the ADA passed, went to a rally in Washington D.C.

We became more and more radical and got so much done. I might as well tell you, about the time in Boston when we chained WILLING volunteers(who use wheelchairs) to a bus (from a traveling bus company). The bus was at a curb getting ready to go on a trip. The company had bought a new fleet of buses and not one was handicapped accessible.  

Of course we invited the press and the T.V. news people, made lots of fliers to pass around to passers-by. The bus couldn't take off.  

In the end they bought accessible buses! Whatever works, I say.

As far as regrets go. I don't think I regret anything I've done, radical or not.