Plugging into life!

I don't know about you but . . . generally my toast cooks faster when the toaster is plugged in. Life is like that too! If your sitting at home waiting for that once in a life time opportunity to come a long it's probably never going to arrive.

I been asked how do I know what's on around town?  Well. . . My short answer is I am plugged into life! My personal and professional networks are a source of information sharing. 

Hey Deb are you going to the Springfair tomorrow?

Oh, I saw that advertised in the ALARA newsletter, but I am off to a poet's breakfast. . .

If you ask me Ipswich is a happening thing and has so much to offer. Did you know Arttime currently have a art competition for coffee lovers and Kitch in the Switch in on in the Ipswich City Mall.

Much of my information comes from facebook these days, but that's because I have set up my timeline to deliver news about events I want to attend.

However when your working with people with disabilities or disadvantaged backgrounds your dependent on others to past on information, until you can get them to plug into life! Many people I work with come from disadvantage back grounds and have no access to the internet. This is one of the many access issues ArtISability needs to address for ArtISability artists to be able to compete as equals in the arts community.

So I am needing to think back, how did I connect before the worldwide web existed. Although my networks have expanded since joining the social media world.  I brought with me my friendships, family spread across Australia, colleagues I worked with.  In some ways the internet and facebook have enable me to reconnect and plug backing to my school networks and people I went to university with . . .

So in many ways, the statement I use to used with my mum before I gave in and opened a facebook account was, I live in the real world! I don't have time for facebook games and I don't meet people online . . .

So the question was where was I meeting people and how did I come to know what was happening in the Ipswich community. I guess my plugging into life happen in my childhood.  My siblings were active in sports and I either tagged along, or was a girls bradage, or out exploring with my cousins. Not always doing things we should be doing. . .

I also loved to dances so the boys weren't the only attraction at my school disco, but yes I might of been chasing one or two, ok!  By the time I finished high school I had pretty much decided I was going to live on campus while I did my degree and I was the club director of my Interact club.  Which meant speaking at Rotary functions and organising fundraising.

Looking back I'm not sure when I found the time to study. In first year I dated, attended youth group at one church and mass at another,  I was also loosely involved in the Christian Student movement; In second year I tutored Mark in Statics and visited  world expo 88; in third year I joined Student life and began traveling around Australia.

Buy the time I finished uni I was pretty much working with Student Life full time.  So yep I was very much plugged in to life at the age of 22!

And then life stoped!  I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and now had a seizure disorder! This saw me return to Ipswich.  Plugging back into my local church and realising I would never be employed full time again.  Luck for me for the next 10 years I remained undiagnosed and never realised how ill I was. 

I was plugged in to five different activities at church and eventually in to a leadership role and studying.  You see connections bring connections and some one at church connected me to a Christian publisher.  I spent the next 10 years working with Creative Christian Enterprises and studying.  Different writers would introduce me to different things. 

The more I moved into community the more things I discovered. Including I had chronic fatigue and fribromyblia.  Life was not treating me kindly.  I had by this time moved out of home and connected with Ipswich Respite Care who introduced me to other services to allow me to live as a person with a disability independently in the community. 

Ipswich Respite Care Services is known today as ALARA Queensland, I was also involve in the Emmaus movement. If any one had a reason to unplug it was me!  But I kept plugging in.  I have kinda excepted I am one person who will always have too many fingers in to many pies.

Networking and building contacts begins by stepping outside your front door. Joining a sports team or maybe a trip to library of a cuppa at McDonlads to read the paper.  The way to find out what's out in the world is to go looking.

What things to do in Ipswich, if you as me the tourist information centre is the place to start!  There are may activities you can do for free.  Like walking through Queens Park and visiting the animal enclosure. All completely accessible.

Did you know the Ipswich City Council its self provides a pool of resources for Ipswich Residents.  That we have a Seniors and Disability Offices.  That you can get information on parks and wild life.  Have you visited our world class public art gallery? Another free facility supported by the Ipswich Council along with Arts Queensland.

Do you know where the local play groups meet? Did you know the Ipswich library has a toddles group and a toy library?  Did you know we have a very active Ipswich Historical Society.  Have you been out to Willow bank or a Jetz football game.

People sit in amazement that I know all this stuff.  I know where to go and who to ask for help.  I certainly didn't learn all that by sitting on facebook.  If you're not plugged into life then maybe its you that needs to plug into life.