#I didn't know compassion was an accommodation

[brood-me-daddy]

I had a one on one with my lead at work today and the topic of managing NDs/disabled people came up. He was like I've been trying to be more accommodating and I'm halfway through that article you sent (I sent it months ago) but nobody sees that I'm trying and you have to share more info about your needs (I've already shared more than I should have).

Me: I'm sorry, but no. Putting that on the person with the disability isn't fair. You have to make the effort to learn more and put in the work because there are plenty of resources out there now. If you're saying you've been trying and I'm telling you I haven't noticed and have seen absolutely no changes than you have to try harder. Like, if you saw a person in a wheelchair would you make them build their own ramp to a door?

Him: well no but at the same time that person would ask for help.

Me: so you're saying if you saw this person in their wheelchair you wouldn't automatically think oh I bet that person needs a ramp to get to the door?

Him: well... No.

Me: well that's a problem. Do better.

[tomikashii]

tokyo debunker : sinostra boys with deaf mc

someone requested for sinostra version from my jabberwock post ! you asked, so you shall receive hehe 💗

warning: abit of ooc (?)

taiga :

i bet he didn't know that deaf people & ASL existed until he met you. he thought that ritsu was giving you some secret information to take him down.

not the type who would learn sign language so good luck trying to read his lips

and probably because he would forget within a few hours LMAO

the amount of times taiga grabbed you out of nowhere because he didn't recognize you and it gave you a heart attack...

you literally have to walk on eggshells around him because he would shoot you and you wouldn't have the time to react

one good side is that you wouldn't flinch so much around him when he is going crazy with his machine gun.

romeo :

“are you deaf, you BB ?!” “she actually is, vice-captain.” that's how your first official meeting with romeo went.

would already know how to sign words because he travels around so he would have met all types of people

he might be slightly more lenient with you because you are deaf & even if he screams at you, you aren't able to hear his wrath

would unconsciously protect you during missions because he doesn't want you to die on a mission with him (he doesn't want to be that person who is unable to protect a deaf person, as he quotes)

actually, he might buy you hearing aids so that you can hear him better

definitely not because he wants you to feel indebted to him and give him kaito's schedule.

ritsu :

the moment you lifted your hands to sign while you speak, he immediately started to sign back in response (“what kind of lawyer i would be if i can't accommodate to all my client's needs?” he said)

you probably communicate with him the most, among the three sinostra ghouls.

doesn't call you at ALL, only text messages. but there was once he called you and ended it before you could pick up because he remembered that you can't hear...

protects you on missions, because he knows that any anomaly or whatsoever can easily sneak up on you

actually would ask you to teach him other words in ASL because he can only hold basic conversations (this is to boost his resume)

would walk in front or beside you so that he can be the first one to get hit when something happens (he insisted to do this to show good moral compass)

refer to my masterlink pinned on my blog for the other houses ! 💗

[warningsine]

Notice how Helena uses "I" instead of "she" and how Milchik gives her the soft sell.

Combine this with:

her embarrassed "My dad forced me to recite the 9 rules as a child and I did not like it then" admission in front of a camera.

James basically thanking her for risking her life for the company and lying about it. He "cried" about the suicide attempt, and yet he didn't even contact his daughter, since he's telling her this now at the gala as an aside to the event. In terms of family emergency time? Too fucking late. Is this the only time Helena's seen him since then? Not to mention how he didn't want to take responsibility and blamed it all on his daughter's alter ego.

And you'll get a more nuanced interpretation than the "Helena pure corporate evil, Helly R. good rebel" binary one.

Despite doing that cruel "I'm a person, you're not" presentation and being determined to see the process through even after Helly tries to commit suicide, there's some part of Helena that must know that this is messed up.

Sure, she's complicit and not a hapless victim, but she's also a product of her upbringing. Stripping her of her privilege, heritage, cult-like brainwashing/indoctrination and Shiv Roy-like desperation to win her dad's approval gives you Helly.

They are the same person under different circumstances.

There are no contradictions between the fundamental makeup of her innie and outie.

The version of herself Helena brings inside Lumon questions everything and demands accommodation and answers, because she is used to getting what she wants as a privileged woman.

What changes her is the different context she's given.

Helena is a wealthy and powerful woman who gets what she wants; Helly is a powerless woman who is often being tortured. It makes sense that her traits—stubborness and determination among others—and the fundamental sense of "I deserve to get what I want" are present in Helly.

But also make no mistake: they're both prisoners. Helly in a more literal sense, Helena in a figurative one—a prisoner in her family and the role that was imposed on her.

A willing participant that benefits from a controlling system is not free from the harm or influence of it. Acknowledging Helena's abusive circumstances doesn't take away from her as an antagonist, it makes her story more compelling.

Helena's self-serving qualities are more a matter of nurture than nature, because Helly shows caring and compassion as well as rebellion and independence. Helly is like a very young version of Helena.

All of the outies' emotions leak through to some extent.

Helly's "Well, that's a given for me [that I'm an asshole out there]" is a pretty safe assumption to make based on Helena's video, but it also oozes self-loathing. Helena taking it out on Helly does too.

Ultimately, I think this happens on a figurative level to a lot of people who undergo an—emotionally in this case— abusive upbringing. Rejecting their most vulnerable parts and imprisoning them. It's a survival mechanism, and helps them feel like they have more control over their out of control personal life. But, in a way, it makes them more out of control once they get into the real world.

Their inner, imprisoned parts find ways to make it so they can't ignore them. We definitely saw that with Helly threatening to mutilate herself and attempting suicide.

There are consequences to denying and imprisoning any part of ourselves over the long term.

[entamewitchlulu]

Putting this as an aside to my last post, but I think this also explains why, out of everyone he interacts with, Yuuri's conversation with Dennis is much different than it is with everyone else.

Everyone else starts the conversation with antagonism, and Yuuri replies gleefully - because yes! This is how the game starts! You are mad at me or scared of me, and I provoke you back until you're so mad you have to fight me, and then I fight you and I show how much stronger I am than you and I win! :)

Dennis, though, is the only character to immediately be happy to see him. To meet him with genuine care and compassion and a desire to see him as a friend. Yuuri doesn't tease Dennis the way he did the others, because I think it throws him off guard. Like hang on. That's not how the game goes. You're doing it wrong and I don't know what to do with this.

It also seems like probably in the past, Dennis had never talked back to Yuuri either. "Are you sure you want to take that tone with me?" A warning that implies to me that up until now, Dennis has always been accommodating. Things are going off script. Yuuri is warning him to get back on track. And this time, Dennis ignores him.

Because it seems like out of the entire cast, Dennis was the only one to get just close enough to Yuuri to realize that there might actually be a person underneath that dirty laundry pile of neglect, abuse, conditioning, and poor coping mechanisms, enough to even now think that whatever relationship they had in the past was enough to call him a friend.

And to mention Dennis too, from both the show and what we got from his event in Duel Links, Dennis thinks that he himself is the worst person ever who didn't deserve to be forgiven at all. But then everyone did. Every single person he hurt forgave him nearly unconditionally. So in Dennis's logic, if even he can be forgiven.... surely Yuuri's not beyond saving either, right?

And Yuuri....doesn't know what to do with this. So he gets touchy. He gets more irritable with Dennis than he does with anyone else. He loses his lighthearted "oh i'm such a stinker hehe" energy because Dennis throws him off balance. this isn't right this isn't how people are supposed to talk to him what do you mean actual human connection that's not real, this is a game, it's just a game, it's always been a game, what are you doing

I think deep down Dennis coming to Yuuri with genuine compassion scares Yuuri. Because no one's ever reached out to him like that before. That's not how he's supposed to be treated. But if he can be treated kindly...if people can care about him...

then does he even know who he is anymore?

[heyftinally]

Okay, I almost ranted about this on a reblog, but it can (and probably should) be it's own post.

Fiction effects reality and fiction does not effect reality are BOTH true.

Yes, I'm going to elaborate in the most unedited, covid-fueled rant I can, as tumblr intended. Hold on to your butts, grab a soda, and strap in.

First and foremost, I need all of the piss on the poor readers to stop their feral response typing - READ what I'm ACTUALLY SAYING before you start bitching about what you're pretending I said. Got it? Good.

This is going to involve nuance. Yes, I know, this website is allergic to nuance. Pop a Benadryl, you'll be okay.

Now, for real:

Fiction DOES effect reality BUT

Only in subtle ways. Absolutely nobody is going from your average normal Sarah to a cold blooded mass murderer because they played silent hill or something. People who become murderers always have some other motive, usually long term and/or severe (ie years of abuse, victim of trafficking, untreated psychological disorder usually paired with abuse, etc).

When I say fiction influences reality, I mean kids who grew up hearing Disney's Pocahontas say "you think the only people who are people are the people who look and think like you, but if you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew you never knew" are more likely to be accepting of diversity than the kids who exclusively grew up on South Park and Family Guy.

I mean reading stories of real people's struggles with disabilities not being accommodated will make you more likely to notice inaccessibility in your daily life, and make you more likely to be accommodating to those who need it.

I mean reading about how a character was skeptical of or easily misled about something via the media can make you more critical of what you read.

Fiction effects reality because if you only consume one kind of media, we assume that's the only way things are. If we consume a vast array of media, we learn to explore different possibilities.

Fiction does NOT effect reality IN THE WAY THAT

Reading a fanfic (or even a published novel) with dubious themes is inherently going to normalize those themes in your reality.

Millions of people watched Hannibal, but cannibalism didn't surge.

Lolita is a rather famous novel, yet I've never heard of it being the sole reason someone suddenly condoned pedophilia out of nowhere.

Horror movies do not routinely make people murderers.

Fiction is not enough to make someone completely change their morals.

So where is the line?

Exactly where your critical thinking ends.

Because yes, there are people who watch shows like South Park and Family Guy and take the crass, bigoted, and otherwise truly vile jokes at face value, and find the humor in that. There are also people who watch it and see the jokes as hyperbole emphasizing just how terrible the people in the show are. Yes, some of this also has to do with the show writers, but again - your critical thinking is what tells you "is this show promoting being racist, or is it showing this character as racist to drive home what an absolute shitbag they are?"

The other aspect is your personal moral compass and ability to adapt.

Yes, I'm talking about echo chambers.

If you can NEVER accept being wrong, or if you refuse to change your mind on a specific topic (again, like racism), so instead of adapting you seek out people who are more likely to agree with you, you may find yourself starting to agree with other viewpoints that previously you wouldn't have.

And this can be good OR bad - if being friends with someone who agrees with you that racism is wrong, they may influence you to also start believing homophobia is wrong, and that's a good thing! But the reverse can also happen, and that's bad.

But media alone didn't do that - it was one of MANY contributing factors, including race, religion, disability (or lack thereof), income, how you were raised, where you live, and more.

So whenever I see people talking about "pro-ship" and "anti-proship", all I can think is

Shipping is only one tiny thing that media can influence you on - why is shipping your sticking point, but not murder?

You aren't capable or willing of engaging with the media you consume in EITHER direction.

Being anti/proship is irrelevant. If anything you're just telling me whether or not toxic purity culture is part of your specific flavor of media illiteracy. It means nothing of substance.

Instead of worrying about who ships what, worry about how your views and actions shape how you percieve and impact those around you.

[eccentricallygothic]

i am sorry but arat's execution was so fucking lame. the gang needed oceanside and they're a good ally but i do not like them. esp the stupid little girl in charge. and i am not really liking maggie much this season either. do one thing or the other ffs decide once and for all which way you want to go instead of dangling half cocked between two extremes. everyone wants to choose rick to avoid responsibility when it comes to it but then they keep going behind his back. a bunch of assholes, the whole lot of them. i also love how the rules bend to accommodate the gang but for everyone else they're the law. arat was RIGHT. simon would have killed her and things were different then. now is now. THATS THE WHOLE FUCKING POINT! like out of all the saviors her and that blonde girl laura i think are the only ones who were fr. i hate how the gang gives every other despicable fuck multiple chances but not the people who truly deserve them. for the bitching they do about moving forward they sure like to deep throat the past a whole fucking lot. we will follow rick. oh no ricks rules aren't the only rules. then something goes wrong they go crying to rick and following him again only for the same fucking cycle to continue. BULLSHIT. no hindsight no nothing. a bunch of idiots. dumbasses like them won't last more than a few days if twd was real. also it was not really ricks place to let negan live in the first place because we all know how he gets when someone hurts his family. the writing for this show is un-fucking-real and in a bad way. also jesus was maggies moral compass when he didn't need to be all throughout season 8 and now he suddenly decides he can't say anything to her??? they're all hypocrites. they keep chasing their own tails like total dumbasses and can't make up their minds or be fr for shit.

[tia-amorosa]

Sunset Died - Michael & Peter

New Resources! (2nd Part)

The boys were completely surprised. Where have you ever seen a cow around here? Never before and then three at once. “They're not shy"/ ”well, and they're wearing bells, they've probably run away from somewhere… I have no idea where the nearest farm is. They must have traveled an insanely long way…"/ ”is possible. But they're here now… Shall we take them with us?”.

“I don't know…"/ ‘Think about it, Peter, they give milk… And meat’/ ‘Well, if any of our people get up the nerve to slaughter them… we won't have any of that for long, there's no bull to provide offspring…’/ ”yeah. But they still look quite young, come on, Peter, or have you become a vegetarian now?”…

Peter's moral compass told him that these cows probably belonged to someone else, but he realized that in these difficult times, one had to be selfish. He shook his head. "No, of course not. OK... how do we get them down to the city?" / "Well, the way you do things with cows, we'll drive them down. We just need to find out which of the three is the lead cow, we need to get on good terms with her and then we'll try to lead her" / "Hmm... and then they'll at least need a stable or something, but I don't think there's room for that."

“You think so, yeah? Actually, there's enough room for the three of them.”. Michael paused for a moment because he needed to think about the current situation. “Hey, I know, I actually wanted to stay here with you for another night, but I've given up on the rabbit thing, really… and I think this is more important now.” Peter looked at the cows and then back at Michael and grinned a little. “OK, but you're playing the shepherd. Find out who the lead cow is, I'll pack up our things in the meantime.“.

Peter went back to the small wooded area and packed up all their things. Then he put out the fire, after all, he didn't want a big forest fire to break out here… “It's a real blast, cows here… That's it for our great date in the forest… I've just got used to sleeping on the hard ground, hnhn… Well then…”. In the meantime, Michael found out who the lead cow was and they made their way back together with these wonderful animals.

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A few days later. It was a big surprise for the locals when Michael and Peter returned from their trip with the three cows. It was almost like a circus attraction. But the potential they brought with them was quickly recognized. So all made sure that the three had a good time. And they did much more.

As the first wedding in a long time was due to take place soon, the people had to think about where it should take place. There was enough space near the cows to accommodate a few things. This included a barn. This was quickly erected with many helping hands

And they had the idea of collecting found objects and everyday items in one place. An amazing amount has been collected so far. Of course, you couldn't just take the items without permission. Everyone had to do their bit. And so, from time to time, fresh fruit and vegetables or other things were given away in exchange. And there was finally fresh milk.

People stopped by every day. Even Emma, who was probably the happiest of all that the boys had been so successful: “I still can't believe you found the three cows. And they weren't even far away"/ ”and we didn't know they were supposed to be here. So our trip the other day was a good thing"/ ‘oh, definitely’. … Thanks to the efforts of the boys and others, there was a bit of normality for everyone again.

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Note about this episode: I didn't take very many pictures of the new community lot at that time. and sometimes actions or things seem a bit illogical in my story. But because most of it happens spontaneously and just pours out of my head, I don't think about a lot of things. So please don't scrutinize every word or action too closely😅🤗. When I go into the next production phase, I will think more about what I write beforehand.

End of this Part

@greenplumbboblover 😊

[nymph1e]

The funny thing about being diagnosed as autistic as an adult is now you're aware that all those things that are an issue for you aren't universal, and you deserve compassion and accommodation for them. The problem is if you voice that you're feeling overstimulated, close to a melt down, etc. and need to be left alone and given space, people will say you're faking it because you "never did this before diagnosis".

Actually yes, I did. I just didn't know what it was and thought everyone had to deal with the same shit, so I sucked it up until I exploded. I'm trying to avoid the exploding part now, and that requires addressing the problem.

[littleruinedprince]

One of my least favorite things about being a grown up is how other adults just stop making an effort to be nice to you.

One of the most soul crushing experiences I've ever had was going to the ER for a painful medical emergency and watching my nurse treat a little boy with an incredible degree of care and tenderness, only for her to then treat me with blatant disgust and cruelty. Don't get me wrong, I think children deserve all of the kindness the world has to offer, and I also don't expect strangers to baby me in any capacity, but it was horrifying how quickly she went from being kind and engaged to rude and indifferent. She literally refused to speak to me at all, roughly grabbing my body without stopping to explain what she was going to do next. She wouldn't even grace me with a simple "hello."

Most people, if they have any heart at all, will put in the work to be nice to children. Of course, I had pretty much nothing but terrible nurses and doctors as a child, but so many medical professionals go above and beyond to make sure their young patients feel safe and comfortable. Well, all of that goes out the window the second you turn 18! Suddenly you're treated like an unwanted nuisance, like all of your problems are solely your fault. You're expected to just get over it if you're scared or anxious, or if whatever torturous proceedure your doctor orders will cause you great pain. Like, I'm sorry, I guess my pain receptors missed the memo that they were supposed to shut off after I reached the legal age of majority!

And it's not just visits to the doctor, it's literally every aspect of life. People are less willing to accommodate you if you're disabled. Family members stop putting in effort for birthdays and holidays, and aren't as supportive when you need them the most. If you're poor and can barely afford to eat, people will tell you that hardship builds character and that you just need to work harder. Everyone is just generally less friendly and more willing to accept your suffering as just a fact of life. I didn't stop needing help when I grew up. I never stopped wanting the care and attention I never recieved. My disabilities never stopped affecting me, in fact, they worsened because I was forced to work in unbearable conditions just to survive.

This is not me saying that bio-kids don't deserve extra special treatment, because they definitely do! I'm not even saying that adults should be treated exactly the same way as children. However, I think that adults deserve grace and kindness too, especially in situations where they're defenseless and vulnerable. People need to understand that while it can be emotionally taxing to be considerate of everyone they meet, it's ultimately very important to show people of all ages tenderness and compassion. Everyone is special.

You never know who might really need a kind word at the doctor's office, or a special birthday.

[dinosaur-ears]

When I talk about compassionate teaching practices now, I think a lot about the semester my dad got cancer.

I was working about 20 hours per week (but occasionally over 40) in the dining halls, and trying to extricate myself from an abusive relationship. When my mom called to tell me my dad had been diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer, it pushed me so far over the edge that I could scarcely process what was happening. When poor, kindly acquaintances would ask how I was doing, I'd answer "my dad has cancer" in a monotone.

But I didn't tell my professors. I couldn't figure out how. I'd been raised to view people who asked for accommodations as lazy and entitled, and that worldview had no room for nuance around what counted as a "real" problem. I was sure that even telling them would come off as seeking pity, and that I could get all my work done properly if I'd just apply myself.

As the semester went on, it got more and more obvious that I couldn't keep up. I was barely sleeping, and when I did sleep, I sometimes woke up crying with horrible leg and foot cramps from malnutrition and dehydration. It was all I could do to attend class, but I couldn't learn. Not wanting to turn in work late, I completed it poorly, often with an incomplete understanding of the task.

Eventually I handed in some lab projects that were so terrible my TAs had to address it. When one asked me out into the hallway during class, I couldn't keep up my façade of okay-ness any longer and broke down crying, trying to explain between sobs about moving out of my apartment and my dad's cancer. When I'd calmed a little, she told me that I should tell someone what was going on the next time something like this happened.

In retrospect, I feel so deeply for this grad student who definitely had not been trained for a situation like this. She was trying to give me good advice, because that was the best she had to offer. But in the moment, all I could think was,

"The next time my dad is dying? The next time I move out of my home on foot?"

The tone mismatch was so severe that I just shut down and wanted to ask for help even less.

But around the same time, I was approached by another of my TAs, who by some miracle was much better equipped to handle the situation. I don't even think I told her everything going on, but she told me,

"I know your work, and this is not your best. You can hand it in when you're able to complete it to your standards."

And that validation of my ability, alongside the flexibility she gave me, was a huge bolster to my confidence that I could stay in school.

Neither TA had been properly trained to connect me with resources like counseling or an advisor who could explain withdrawal policies and the like to me. But even so, the second TA's words were a lifeline I desperately needed.

We don't need to be perfect. We won't be. But extending compassion to our students changes lives.

[mystery-salad]

Can I have a uhhhhh 3 (other than the obvious mouth situation), 4 and 9 for Nixxte, then 1, 7 and 13 for Tvelle. Both with a side of 15!

*leans out of the kitchen* comin' right up boss! o7

NIXXTE

3. What parts of themselves do they tend to hide?

Other than the mouth situation lmao they honestly don't hide much! It's part of why they're considered to be such a little shit around the Order of Whispers and a lot of people don't particularly love team missions with them. Nixxte is wholely themself and ready to cause trouble. They openly admit they don't play well with others and have a compromised moral compass.

4. How do they punish themselves when they make mistakes?

A mistake can get them killed so fast in their line of work, something their prosthetic jaw is a constant reminder of. A particularly grievous mistake means they'll be spending the next few nights repeating the scenario ad nauseam until they can complete it flawlessly.

9. What are their insecurities?

None! They're extremely confident, to their own detriment in many ways. Even if there's something they don't immediately know, they're positive they can sort it out within sufficient time still. Their one sore spot is any mention of how they lost their lower jaw since it meant a mission failed.

15. What do they like/dislike about themselves?

They like how smart they are, how their small stature makes infiltration a breeze. Dislikes include when their overconfidence leads to a mistake (which they will hide from anyone to their utmost ability), and the way their small stature gets hem underestimated.

TVELLE

What parts of their childhood trigger them?

None of her childhood triggers her in a literal sense, while she didn't like her upbringing it was in no way negative to a detrimental or traumatizing degree! The closest you'd come is stated below in 7.

7. What emotions or situations do they try to avoid? Why?

She avoids scholarly situations like the plague. While she was a good student when it came to her grades, she was a huge "problem" behaviorally because the schools didn't accommodate her blatant ADHD. Any educational system situation immediately makes her uncomfortable and she braces for someone telling her off. She's very very glad she dropped out of school and never looked back.

13. What is their relationship with their family like?

On the mend! While her parents were disappointed in her for dropping out of school and running off, they see how far she's come and how she's applied herself to gain a position she's happy in. Letters are being sent back and forth, and apologies have been made. While she's not ready to face them directly yet, Tvelle and her parents are getting there.

15. What do they like/dislike about themselves?

She loves her stubbornness and determination to stay optimistic, she considers these a boon to both herself and everyone around her! And most often she's absolutely correct~ She dislikes her short attention span, she wants to pay closer attention in meetings and know what's going on but she just genuinely can't and has to be filled in by a friend in a more engaging way afterward. Thankfully she has people close to her who are willing to help out in this area!

[the-cookie-of-doom]

I've been in nursing school for a year now, and the stress of everything has been seriously wearing me down. After nearly 4 months in clinical being made to feel like an idiot, I find myself doubting my choices more often than not. But then I'll have an interaction with a patient at just the right time to remind me exactly why I'm here, suffering through his god-awful program.

A few weeks ago, a patient my age came in, massive trauma victim. She'd been camping in the mountains for a few days when she crashed an ATV. Honestly, she's lucky to be alive. Her friends had to run 2 miles through the wilderness to get to a payphone and call for help. She'd spent a week in the hospital by the time I met her, when she'd finally asked someone if there was any way we could wash her hair.

The normal system we use is these shower caps that have soap in them, and they're awful. Especially when you have thick, curly hair that's almost down to your waist. Walking into that room, seeing this poor kid who could barely move due to her injuries, my heart just broke. Her hair was so dirty after almost 2 weeks without a proper shower that it looked wet from where I was standing in the door.

Together with another nurse tech, we managed to improvise and figure out how to get her hair washed. The beds aren't made for it, we don't have the equipment for it, and like I said she could barely move. But we made it work. I spent probably an hour and a half carefully washing and combing through her hair with nothing more than a regular barber's comb, until it was completely clean and tangle free, and braided it after so it could stay that way.

Just this week I was able to help another young woman that I wasn't assigned to. I didn't know anything about her situation, but I overheard another of my classmates (her assigned student) tell the nurse tech that she needed help and didn't want him to do it. The nurse tech essentially told him it wasn't her responsibility to accommodate that, she was too busy, and the patient needed to either accept his help or get over it. I overhead, and stepped in to see what was wrong.

When I got to the room, the patient was crying and hyperventilating, couldn't tell me what was going on, and looked overall distraught. I was able to just sit with her for a few minutes to calm her down, find out what was wrong. She was hot and sweaty, needed a new gown/sheets. Understandable, no problem. I went and got the stuff, brought her a cold drink and a fan, got her changed, etc. The whole time she kept apologizing because she didn't know what was wrong with her, she wasn't usually like that, she didn't have anything against the guys it was just too much...

The whole time, that nurse tech from before was with me, too. Despite telling my classmate she didn't have time to deal with it, she almost immediately followed me into the room, kept trying to take over what I was doing, all while looking incredibly frustrated with the patient. Making her feel even worse. Once we were done I got the tech to leave so I could talk with the patient, let her know it's okay, that she was just overwhelmed and it's understandable. I reassured her that we're there to take care of her, she deserves to feel safe and taken care of in the hospital. The whole time, she didn't feel comfortable asking for anything else because of how she was treated before me.

Nursing school focuses on building a therapeutic relationship with patients. We need them to trust us and believe they'll be taken care of. It's easy to say you chose health care because you want to help people, but it's also really easy to lose that compassion. Sometimes you don't realize you're doing it. I don't blame that nurse tech, she really was busy. And when you're a working nurse with multiple patients to care for, you don't always have the time to spend an hour or two washing someone's hair, or handling their emotional breakdown with patience. But I think too often, people don't even try.

These relationship's with patients are exactly what's getting me through the misery of nursing school. I'm not out there curing anyone right now, but I know I'm having a positive impact in people's lives. I'm doing my best to show that you can still trust that when you're in the hospital, during one of the most vulnerable times in your life, someone will be there to take care of you and care for you.

I've worked in health care for two and a half years now. My philosophy has always been to maintain patient dignity above all else. It's so easy to forget the person lying in that bed is still a person, and not just a patient, or a set of tasks that have to get done at a certain time. You can't let yourself forget the care in healthcare.

[bitchkay]

Headcanon time! Lance has dual-type ADHD and maybe high functioning autism (keyword "maybe")

Hear me out:

After reading his childhood story i really got some neurodivergent vibes from him. I mean he has a hard time understanding the way of being a proper prince and everyone else had a hard time teaching him, and it's not uncommon for adhd-ers/autistics to act out. In Lance's case he just gave up on being a proper prince. I know that he resents his position because his friends and family died because the people in the upper echelon of society didn't do shit to help the poorer classes get access to basic human rights, but i feel like that was the catalyst to him “acting out.”

Also, he bonds with animals. He also gets along better with the older crowd *cough*Zeneau*cough* and Chris sees him as like an older brother/father figure

I think something else worth mentioning is he has a very strong moral compass despite the whole "bad boy" facade

He doesn't act out because hes being rebellious,he acts out because it's an emotional response due to low impulse control, especially when it comes to people he loves, take the event where he got locked up for protecting Christoph as example

Also when it comes to Lance getting along with an older crowd, Lance also loves Jay and looks in on him from time to time

Lance gives me very much late diagnosis and likely doesn't get diagnosed until well into his adulthood and I actually think he was recommended to get tested rather than his own curiosity

Bro got peer reviewed💀

Because not only is he high functioning but also a late diagnosis its typically alot harder for autistic adults to receive accommodation where they need it because to NTs "they're fine" even though for a large chunk of their life they had to figure this out by themselves.

For Lance in particular I think it would really be a journey of learning to unmask for the first time in his life and allowing him to feel more authentically

I think that would come down to recognizing his own habits and mannerism and things he did/does as a way to protect himself and taking notice of how he's performed as himself up until this point, a battle of 'how do I want to feel' vs 'how do I want to be seen'

Us diagnosing characters with autism:

[1mechanicalalligator]

my therapist: you do understand that you are disabled even if the social security administration doesn't end up granting you SSDI, right?

me:

my therapist: you do understand that the government doesn't get to determine whether or not you're actually disabled, right?

me:

my therapist: all of your doctors confirm your disability. and so do I. you are disabled. right now. and you deserve accommodations and compassion and help. you're not just "failing at life". you didn't "do this to yourself". you're not "making it all up". you know that, right?

me:

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Thanks for agreeing to hold the party here," Roman said, looking proudly at the decorations he'd bought and the impressive cake he'd made for his son's important day. It wasn't every day that your kid turned fourteen and Roman wanted to make the party special.

Ewan Traver merely shrugged back at him, like it was nothing to use his estate to entertain a group of hyper teenagers. Truthfully, nothing seemed to bother the duke, and it made Roman incredibly uneasy to see such a laid back parenting style. Maybe if he lived on a tropical island and hadn't been a teenage father, Roman might be the same. But then again, Adrian had grown up in Twikkii Island, and he was just as bad as Roman when it came to his clingy parenting style.

"It's all good," Ewan assured his guest. "The kids love having their friends over and we have more than enough space to accommodate them. Tell you what. If you make one of those bat cakes for Bronwen's birthday, I'd be in your debt. Not many bakeries have vampire friendly designs, and it would mean a lot to her."

"Done," Roman agreed, eager to continue his party setup and ditch the hovering duke. "Is everyone here? I haven't done a head count."

"All of them are present and accounted for," Ewan confirmed. "I think they've found the pool table. If I know my kids, they're probably hustling the group. Never bet against a vampire or witch in a contest of skill."

"Uh...huh." Roman had no idea of what to say to this man. He was the father of Theo's closest friends though, so Roman tried his best. Ewan wasn't snobby or pretentious, nor was he trapped in the same constant anxiety that Adrian felt being a duke. If anything, the man reminded Roman of an eager puppy, excited and ready for anything fun. If Roman had to blindly guess who was married to stuffy, curt Edana, he would never have guessed Ewan in a million years.

"Where is Edana? Does she want to help set up?"

For the briefest of seconds, Ewan's face fell before he could correct it. It wasn't anger or frustration that Roman had briefly saw, but some kind of sadness. He didn't resent his wife like Roman would have assumed with such an emotionally mismatched couple. Instead, it almost looked like the look he sometimes caught Abe giving him whenever the subject of Roman's family came up. Ewan was just as worried about Edana as Abe worried about him. It was touching to see, and it gave Roman hope that the children of this man also inherited that same compassion. Any friends of Theo needed some extra compassion should anything terrible happen to their friend, and if Elowen and Bronwen were anything like their father, Theo would be in good hands.

"Edana's working," Ewan explained. "She's got this huge research project she's working on and it's very important. She promised to come up for cake though."

With the noise of a birthday party around her, Edana was finding it difficult to concentrate on her work. Several excited teenagers crowding around a pool table did not make it easy to stare endlessly at photo after photo of boring historical records.

Truthfully, she would much rather be upstairs, ensuring that the teens behaved like the young magical apprentices most of them were instead of staring at ancient records. She was certain that Adam was probably letting that demon hybrid of his push past acceptable boundaries, and that Remy and Elowen were likely trying to do some juvenile prank like spiking the punch or whatever it was that teens did these days. Ewan could handle the party itself, but his wife needed to be the stern authority figure ensuring that nothing went awry.

But her brother had given her a mission that superseded everything else. No one escaped death to pass something unimportant to their angry sister. For the measures he had taken to see her, Edana knew that this required her full attention. Something big had to be at stake and she wasn't about to stand over the dead bodies of her friends again, not when she could have prevented it. What if something happened to one of her children? She would never recover from that loss. If it took hours hunched over a computer to save her family, then it was worth all of it.

He said that the Darktides were in danger, but we're not originally from Strangetown, our ancestors are from Pleasantview. Why care so much about a supernatural being from another country?

Why did the answer to a mystery in Twikkii Island all revolve around Strangetown or Josh Toyonaga's husband? They lived in Strangetown, but neither of them came to Twikkii Island regularly. They came from time to time to visit Ewan and Edana, but not often. Besides, Josh's own mother died in that explosion. He wasn't close to the former queen consort, but Edana could never accuse him of murder. She'd seen for herself how devastated he'd been at her funeral.

Couldn't Adam have been at least a little more specific about this threat? If he hadn't spent so much time being a jackass, he could have explained this threat easily and she wouldn't be forever wandering libraries to search for whatever it was she was supposed to be looking for.

"There!" she gasped, scrolling back to a picture she'd nearly missed. "Finally!"

Atem Spector and his mother, Morganna Grunt, in the palace of Alpheus Toyonaga, Strangetown, Circa 678, photo from a private collection.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" Edana groaned, desperately scanning the photo for clues that might point her in the right direction.

The picture was blurry and barely showed what Atem looked like. His eyes were closed and his hair could have easily been dirty blonde or brown. The woman beside him didn't look much like her son. Green skin with green eyes. He must have taken after his father.

The year 678 would place this picture right in the middle of the Demon Wars. If she ignored Master Thorne's warning, she could probably summon a demon that old. It was only 2210, surely something that old would still respond to a summons?

No, Master Thorne was right. Adam would have rushed headfirst into summoning something that old. Edana was the smart one. The careful one. The one currently fearing for her family's safety.

She'd never seen a blood demon before. No one alive likely hadn't either. She used to sit on the memorial to Alpheus outside of the public library when she did her schoolwork as a girl. The shrine to the powerful blood demon always inspired her to strive for power like his. Perhaps that was why her coven had stumbled in the end. Power like that came with a price too high for mortals to pay. Her son's boyfriend worried her with his own power, but she was comforted by the fact that Alpheus had been a full demon, while Theo was merely a hybrid. He was dangerous, sure, but nothing like the demons of the past.

Master Thorne was displaced from another time, centuries ago where maybe he'd seen a blood demon for himself. He probably knew what he was talking about; witches and warlocks had differing practices back then, and not all of them were moral. Still, the urge to throw caution aside to play with something that far overpowered her was intense. What would it be like to see a demon so powerful? Would it be like staring at Anna Goldman's true reaper form, beautiful and terrible all at once?

"Dammit!" she swore, throwing one of her reference books across the room. "What am I supposed to do with this, Adam? None of this makes any sense! Just tell me how to save my family!"

"Edana?" Ewan's worried voice floated down the stairs, grounding her in her surrounding once more. In her anger, she'd worried her poor husband and been just as rash and improper as she forbid her children to be. This mystery was getting to her, but she couldn't worry her family or travel down forbidden paths like her brother.

"Everything's fine, honey," she called, picking up the book she'd thrown. "I just knocked a book over. I think I'm making progress though."

"Okay, well we're going to cut the cake now, if you wanted to join us. Theo's dad made it."

"Yeah, yeah okay. I'll be right up."

By the time Edana made it up the stairs, the cake was already cut and the teens were having a birthday toast with what she hoped was ginger ale. Ewan knew better than to let champagne anywhere near the kids who were all studying magic at a level he was incapable of matching. Their alcohol was stored safely in a locked cabinet, but Edana knew better than to trust a simple lock to keep the teens out. Elowen was getting better each day at subverting her mother's traps. Between her and Remy, Edana was going to have to be on top of her game to parent her children.

"To the birthday boy, Theo." Ewan toasted. The teens followed his example and clinked their glasses together to toast the young demon.

"To Theo!"

"Alright, cake and ginger ale is on the table if anyone wants refills," Roman said. "You guys have fun, and if you need anything, the grown ups are going to be here, doing boring grown up stuff."

"Ugh, Dad, I'm not four," Theo groaned, shooting his father a nasty glare. "We don't need 'grown ups' for anything. We're fine."

"Well the grown ups have actual champagne to drink, so we'll be fine too," Ewan laughed before Roman could snap at his son. "Go have fun. We certainly will be."

"Gross," Adam said, looking at his step-father like he had three heads. "Are our parents friends now? I don't like it."

"My dad doesn't have any friends," Theo replied snarkily. "At least we know they'll get along at our wedding."

"Ha ha, you two are funny," Roman grumbled, reaching for the bottle of champagne Ewan had produced. "Go have fun while the adults have their own party."

"Your mom is getting worse," Eliana said, while lining up her shot. The three sisters were pool enthusiasts and far too skilled to hustle anyone. No one believed that they could beat any of the sisters, so most of the gambling was on which of the sisters would win.

"You're not wrong," Remy replied. "She spends all her time at home on the computer and all her time at school in her office. I think my dad is worried about her, but he doesn't want to say anything."

"What do you think she's working on?" Eliana asked. "Not all of us are witches who know what mysterious secret she's looking for."

"You don't have to be a witch to figure it out," Elowen answered. "She's upset about Uncle Adam. She's always upset about Uncle Adam. It must be his like birthday or death date or something lame like that. I see her staring at pictures of him at school all the time."

"Nah, I think she's worried about Adam Jr and his demon companion," Remy laughed. "She's looking stuff up about demons, really old demons. All the blood demons died ages ago or whatever and she's worried that Adam's going to get himself killed too. Maybe one day, Theo's going to snap and kill us all and she wants to be ready."

"Remy, be serious," Eliana said. "The last person Theo's going to snap and kill is Adam. I don't think that those two can stand to be away from each other for even an hour."

"Yeah, you're right," Remy conceded. "They're probably making out downstairs and skipping the rest of the party."

"You and Theo should really come to the school dance next semester. Josh is taking me and my uncles said that I could wear one of my mom's dresses to it. It's going to be a lot of fun, and outside students can come by invitation."

"I don't know, Medora, Theo would probably want to go, but I'm not really into dances. The ones at our own school are more than enough for me."

Adam fidgeted, trying to politely refuse the invitation to a pretentious dance that he would likely be completely miserable at. Medora was really excited and Theo would love to let loose and dance wherever he could, so it felt like he had to say yes, despite his reservations.

"What's this about a dance?"

Theo waved at his friend and boyfriend, watching Adam's face flush like he was hiding something.

"It's only the largest dance in the school that isn't prom," Medora exclaimed. "I think we're supposed to practice our social and political skills or whatever, but it's a dance! I have my outfit all picked out. My uncles are letting me use my mom's clothes and jewelry and Josh has a matching outfit that will look amazing."

"Aren't you wearing your mom's dress now?" Adam asked, gesturing to the photo behind them. "That's your mom isn't it? My step-dad's sister?"

Medora was the spitting image of her mother, especially when she wore Tristianne's clothes. The resemblance was remarkable, something Theo was sure the princess heard all the time.

"This?" Medora repeated, looking offended. "Adam, I know that you have no knowledge of fashion, especially when it comes to what a princess gets to wear, but this is not one of my mom's dresses. Her dresses cost about the same as a year of tuition."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." Adam didn't look like he really understood or cared about Medora's wardrobe, but he didn't want to be rude to an orphan trying to connect to her mother in whatever way she could. If he lost his father or step-father, maybe he'd want to use one of their suits to remember them too. His father's warlock robes probably cost a small fortune and since his recently discovered half-brother wasn't a warlock, Ewan's robes would likely go to his only magical son.

"I was just about to get my swimsuit, but I was going to head back to get another piece of cake," Theo announced, while his boyfriend mentally compiled his likely inheritance. "Wanna come with me?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. That cake was awesome," Adam replied. "Do you want some too Medora?"

"No thanks, I'm going to get changed too. The pool is calling my name. Can you believe that I live in a castle, and we don't even have a pool on the property? My grandfather says we don't have the infrastructure to support one, but he's the king. He can hire someone to install whatever it needs."

"A pool's not everything," Adam pointed out. "It's a lot of work and uses a lot of water for a desert nation like Strangetown. My step-dad makes us take turns cleaning it when we're living here."

"Well, either way, I'm headed for the pool," Medora announced. "See you out there. And think about the dance. Seriously. It'll be fun."

By the time that Medora emerged from the house in her swimsuit, a vicious water balloon fight was already underway. A balloon narrowly missed her head, but didn't break upon hitting the ground.

"Oh my god, you never said there was going to be water balloons!" she shrieked, picking up the fallen balloon and whipping at Elowen. "How many do we have left?"

While the other guests were distracted, Adam and Theo were changing into their bathing suits a little more slowly than the other teens. They changed together all the time at school when they had gym class or when they changed into their pajamas at night, but it was never usually while they were alone. Having a few moments of privacy together now was somehow very different than at school. The air crackled with tension and before he knew it, Theo's lips were on Adam's, pulling him as close to him as he could.

"We need to go," Theo whispered between kisses, only to have Adam move his hand and completely silence all thoughts of leaving.

"Your dad is busy and no one will notice we're gone," Adam whispered back, punctuating his words with kisses down Theo's arm.

"My dad will definitely notice a hickey," Theo protested, pushing his boyfriend away halfheartedly. "You know how pissed he'll be if he catches us in here."

"Yeah, my mom will probably murder us both," Adam conceded. "It would be pretty horrible to die on your birthday."

"Worth it though. Plus then I wouldn't have to go to dinner at home with my grandma. All she does is drink and scowl at me while going on about how much money my school costs. Rien says my grandma's just going to give me some money in my college fund for a gift anyway."

"Well, it beats hanging out here with my sisters," Adam replied. "All they do is talk about their partners and tease me. Plus, Mom's still acting like some kind of zombie. I don't think she's even made a single comment once today about you or your dad."

"Maybe she likes me now," Theo teased. "Maybe she's finally seen how perfect we are for each other and wants to apologize for everything she's said."

Both boys laughed at the thought of Edana Darktide ever apologizing for anything, especially when Theo was involved.

"Maybe one day. But definitely not today."

"You're almost out of balloons, you'd better surrender while you still can.'

Elowen stared menacingly at her half-sister, water balloon in her hand, ready to be thrown. Their water battle was down to just Elowen and Remy and Elowen had the clear advantage. Remy had just a few balloons left, but she wasn't about to lose and have her half-sister gloat about it all week.

"Maybe you should surrender before I tell Dad about your boyfriend."

Remy's taunt worked, and Elowen's angrily tossed balloon easily missed its target. It landed on the ground beside Remy, allowing the witch to scoop it up and hurl it back towards her half-sister.

"So the rumours are true," Remy laughed. "Who is he? Does he go to our school?"

"Mind your own business," Elowen snapped, launching another balloon at Remy that also missed its target. "If you don't, maybe I'll tell Malika that you've been flirting with the girl in potions class. Plus the guy you looked really into at lunch last week."

"It's not cheating to admire an attractive person," Remy insisted. "Malika knows that and I'm sure she looks at all kinds of people herself. Your boyfriend probably does the same thing.'

"He does not!"

"So I guess I'll see you again at our kids' wedding?" Ewan joked, looking over his shoulder to see if Adam or Theo were nearby to hear.

The dads had finished their alcohol fueled conversation upstairs and had finally changed into the bathing suits to supervise anyone swimming in the pool. Roman wasn't thrilled to see his son absent in the yard, but some of the other kids were missing too, which meant that there could be an innocent explanation, like Theo playing a game of pool. Roman had promised his husband not to be paranoid or suspicious about Theo's whereabouts during the party, but it was difficult. Theo was probably getting into trouble somewhere, but both Adrian and Abe had pleaded with him to keep Adam's parents happy. The last thing they needed was another inquiry by the Maricourts.

"You know they're going to break up long before they're nineteen, right?" Roman replied. "They're just kids."

"Oh, I thought Edana said that you married your high school boyfriend?" Ewan said in a tone that Roman couldn't discern the true intention of. He didn't sound like he was asking the question sincerely. More than likely, he and Edana had come up with topics to discuss with Theo's parents to continue their interrogation of the Bellamy family.

"Well, eventually," Roman conceded. "I did marry someone else first, and we broke up a few times since high school."

"Well, there you go," Ewan replied. "There's hope for them yet. Edana married someone else first too and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out."

"There's no way that Theo is getting married as a teenager. All he's doing is trying to get our approval and permission to have sex."

Ewan choked back a powerful laugh at this, clapping Roman's shoulder as he laughed.

"I had no idea that you needed parental permission to have sex," he laughed. "Oh man, if I did, my father would have me die a virgin. My sister too. The look on his face when she told him that she had no idea of who Medora's biological parent was because she and her husband had attended an orgy together! I wish I had had a camera. Trust me, Roman, Adam is his mother's son. He's not going to ask permission for anything. Kids are going to be kids, just like we were."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Roman sighed. "Theo's too much like we were."

"Ah well, my brother and sister and I all put my parents through hell," Ewan laughed. "Leo was almost murdered for defying the queen of Pleasantview, and Tristianne, well, it's not right to speak ill of the dead, even if her antics were hilarious. I have three kids with three different women who are pretty much all the same age. Being a parent means watching your kids make mistakes while helping them learn from them. My dad never gave up on me, even when I deserved it."

"I never really had parents growing up," Roman said. "My mother tried to kill both me and my kids and my dad was physically present but never there with me. Theo has a magical disability that's potentially fatal if he gets too powerful without something to ground him. He's almost died more than once and I can't lose him, Ewan. I also can't watch him struggle like I did with a teenage pregnancy either. If I let go of him for even a second, I'll-"

"You'll push him away," Ewan replied. "I almost pushed my dad out of my life when I was young and thought I knew it all. Everything he did, I assumed was just to punish me for having a good time. It took a tragedy for us to come together again and forgive, don't let the same happen to you and your son."

Roman stared closely at the man he'd underestimated. Ewan may not be as sharp as his wife, but he really did care about his kids and their happiness. He was just as fiercely protective of his kids as Roman was, though he didn't look like he spent long nights worrying himself to death like Roman did. He was still too close to Edana to trust, but Roman could still appreciate Ewan's advice.

"Any tips on letting go?" Roman sighed. "I don't know how I'll sit through a wedding between two nineteen year olds without saying something."

"Well, like you said, who marries their high school sweetheart?" Ewan laughed. "I'm sure they'll have a bunch of relationships in high school and forget all about each other. The only other time I'll ever see you again is when you drop off Bronwen's birthday cake next year."

"That sounds like a deal," Roman said, allowing himself a small smirk while still worrying about his son. "Adam's not a bad kid though, I don't want you to think that Abe and I hate him or anything like that. Just try to put in a good word about Theo with your wife if there's a wedding. I have a feeling that she'll call another 'meeting' about my son if there's a ring involved."

Ewan sighed heavily.

"Yeah, I guess it's no secret that she thinks that your son is going to burn all of Pleasantview down. We're all trying to reason with her. The last thing the school needs is a reputation for harassing demon students. He's only a hybrid demon though and he only seems to endanger himself with his powers, which is what has pacified her for now. Adam tying his bloodline to Theo's though- you should have seen her reaction. I thought the house was about to implode."

"Yeah, we had that reaction too," Roman groaned. "No offense, of course. You seem like a nice family, but-"

"But your thirteen year old playing with blood magic? Yeah, I get it. Still, yelling at them didn't change anything. If you push too hard, teenagers are going to push back. Give them a little room to breathe and your son just might come to you with his problems first."

"Yeah, that will be the day," Roman murmured, scanning the yard again and still finding no signs of his son. "Theo? Theo, it's a pool party because there's a pool. Hurry up and swim with your friends!"

"Coming, Dad!"

Theo and Adam emerged from the house, dressed in their bathing suits and looking guilty.

So he was inside with Adam, probably this entire time. Doing god knows what.

Roman was about to shout at his son, when his eyes met Ewan's and he reconsidered.

Don't push him away. You can trust him. Yelling will only push him away.

"Get in the pool now that we can supervise," Roman said, though his teeth were still tightly clenched. Beside him, Ewan gave him a quick thumbs up. "This is a pool party after all."

[iloveanimalsmorethanhumans]

Rt 66

"Just remember...overall...it's just a road"

My sister tells me this over the phone while we are discussing the next leg of my three day drive towards a new life. I'll be driving on rt 66 the next day.

I've always wanted to drive old 66. The history and novelty of it permeated my childhood. Hearing relatives talking about driving it. Seeing post cards, movies, ads.

We all know the jingle "get your kicks on rt 66!" The tourist traps along the way, the sights.

The thing is, my sister is right. The whole thing isn't kitsch and glamor. It's...just a road.

I drove on rt 66 through parts of Missouri and Oklahoma. Just me, and my cats, (and 2 snakes) and all of the possessions I could fit reasonably in my Jeep Compass. Here's what I learned.

The GPS hates rt 66. It doesn't recognize it. It kept taking me to the freeway. I didn't want the freeway. I wasn't interested in getting there fast. I wanted to enjoy myself, take my time. Rt 66 will definitely slow you down, and it is worth it.

We are so accustomed to the quick way, the shortest rt. Going 75 mph past scenery that is so beautiful it makes your eyes ache. If you'd take a moment to notice.

Rt 66 reminds you of the days before freeways and 75 mph speed limits. It reminds you of what a family vacation is supposed to be. A relaxing drive with some cool sites along the way....and beautiful scenery. The kind of scenery that makes you want to look at your traveling companions and say "Wow! Did you see that?" There are unique bridges, small towns with one main street and unique architecture. You expect to see old cars and girls in poodle skirts and fellas in letter jackets. Or teenagers with long hair and denim jackets decorated with patches from their favorite bands loitering on the corners.

I couldn't stop often, it was hot and I had animals to think about, but I was able to pause for photos and a quick stop for some souvenirs.

I drove for 10 hours that day. I got to Amarillo Texas at 11:30 that evening. The cats were exhausted and ready to be in a cabin for the night and so was I, but I pulled in feeling relaxed and happy. I drove rt 66, and the next day I was going to the Cadillac Ranch. One of my favorite 66 attractions. (No longer on rt 66. It got moved to accommodate the growth of Amarillo) my bucket list was about to get another check!

If you get the opportunity. Slow down and make the time to enjoy a relaxing drive. I'm going back. Sooner than later.