In awe

Oscar Pistorius is my new crush, simple as that. I have enjoyed every second of the paralympics and will always be inspired by what I have seen. I know that we are supposed to be in awe, especially given the "super human" status that these athletes have been awarded by our popular media, but well, it's an apt description  isn't it? Never again will I just roll over (ah, O.K. I never have, but I'm making a point) when one of my students says "I can't", well, yes you can, because if there is one thing that we have learnt this summer, it is that if you put your mind to it, you bloody well can. Being without a limb(s) must be devastating, but using determination and damn good design takes those obstacles out of the way - not great at drawing, but still want to be able to express yourself creatively? Well, you find another way don't you, it might be with a silk screen, a camera or a computer - the point is, it doesn't make what you do any less valuable, you have still  used your imagination and stepped up, put yourself out there, if you like, just as running on blades doesn't make your athletic talent any less impressive. Life moves on, and at an incredible pace it would seem, gone are the days (thank God) when a "less" able bodied person was kept low profile and relatively static, as are those when your creative endeavours only meant something if you picked up a palette or a pencil.