Former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau once said that there is never a right time or a right place to go but for me I think that the time was just right.
For whereas he made his decision on a walk in a terrific snow storm on February 28 1984 and announced it to Canadians on February 29 1984, I made mine while on a cruise to Hawaii in February 2020 and told my friends on March 01 2020.
Of course, my decision pales in comparison to prime Minister Trudeau’s when it comes to importance but I am sure glad that I made mine when I did.
It is time for me to go and for me to enable and allow others to step up to the plate and to become leaders in advocacy for the future. My time is up and I realize that much of my passion is spent. Especially so after the passing of my mentor Chris Stark.
Advocacy does not have to be a circumstance where you are constantly fighting to protect the rights of others. Advocacy does not mean that you are constantly advocating to help protect, have recognized, and have legitimized the rights of others with disabilities. Advocacy does not mean that you need to sit on committees and be present at round tables in order to have your voice heard.
For me, I’ll be engaging in a new type of advocacy. Where I’ll be mentoring others. Where I will collaborate with others to host events to help participants speak up, speak out, and reach out. Where I will use my imagination and creativity to design and develop initiatives to encourage persons with disabilities to participate and I’ll engage in fund raising events where proceeds will be used to send kids with special needs to mainstream camps.
This is going to be a new and different brand of advocacy for me and I am looking forward to having a lot of fun while doing it.
Just my two cents for today.