I could have gone on SSDI in 1999. I chose not to. Instead, I went back to school for one more semester in the fall of 2000 and finished up my BSES at 42 years old. I’m not sure whether I’m experiencing a slow decline or whether I’m just having a couple of bad years. But I’m going to work for as long as I can. Maybe next time I’;m out of work I’ll apply for SSDI. And maybe I’ll go for my master’s when it happens. Who the hell knows?
I want to be my best, whatever my best is. I expect everyone to be the best they can around me. I understand physical and mental limitations. I don’t understand not trying.
Anybody who wants a Hallmark card can go to Eckerd’s and buy one. That’s not what the Bipolar Planet is all about. That’s not what I’m about.
To quote Timothy Leary, “The future of the human species is to learn how to use our brains.” We are the ones who can do this, but it comes with a price tag.