Making the most out of time
Karlin is a fantastic example of how you don’t have to spend all your time doing something to be great at it. I guess we can describe Karlin as a burst photographer, she can get all the elements right in a short period of time, she can take photos for 10 minutes each day and they are fantastic.
Karlin shows us how some people who need lots of support and who have issues in their life that slows them down or stops them from being able to easily engage in a full range of life activities can also find excitement, adventure and success in other areas of their lives. Karlin shows us that people even though they may need support to make it through a day, can be better and more skilled than many people in areas they are interested and passionate about. They show how people with different limitations, when given opportunities can and will make good contributions to their communities.
Karlin’s fantastic calendar reminds me of conversations with a good friend of mine. Mark is quadriplegic, he studies at University and writes beautifully, 500 words a day, one letter at a time with a head pointer. Mark and Karlin’s stories remind us of something really important. A lot of people we support don’t have full-time jobs or lots of obligations in their everyday lives that they have to meet, and while of course we would love to see full-time jobs and obligations being met in everyone’s lives, knowing that those things aren’t there tells us something very important. That people have time. They have time to think about and pursue the things that they are passionate about. You need to be sure to surround yourself with the right people to help you move towards achieving those things and make the most of that time.
Mark and Karlin don’t just have time, they also have resources provided through the NDIS (but keep in mind that money doesn’t think). People think. These two people have some incredibly tough parts in their lives, they both need lots of support to get through a day, but they are reminding us that life is a lot more than that. They remind us that if we can combine thinking and knowing people well, with time, resources and just as importantly the right supports, the good things can and will happen. We hope that for many people we are the right supports, sometimes we will be, sometimes we won’t and at other times we will learn to be. It doesn’t matter if it is us or not, it does matter that the people who you use for support can help you make the best use of your time and resources.
