My blogging friend and fellow chronically ill gal, The Fibrochondriac, recently wrote to me to tell me that I had helped inspire her to get involved in #OccupyTriCities. I will post about that another time, because what she said really blew me away.
It also changed my perspective. Reading her posts about what she was doing, despite her chronic illness, inspired me. (Really, check out this post, especially.)
I have been so excited by the growing Occupy Wall Street and then worldwide #Occupy movement, but also sad that I could not take part. I have felt like finally, the change I have been hoping for since Ronald Reagan got into office (yes, I’m old), is starting to happen! And I can’t do anything about it!
But no, I’ve decided I can do something. There are lots of things people who cannot go #Occupy in an embodied way can do. So I have been trying to gather momentum for #Occupy at Home.
Thus, I’ll be blogging, tweeting, and posting to Facebook from a new address and identity.
Blog: #Occupy at Home
Facebook: #Occupy at Home (please go “Like” the page so it will become searchable)
Twitter: @Occupy_at_Home
Will you to join me? I love that this is a leaderless movement, and the #Occupy at Home movement should be, too. If you would like to be an admin for the Facebook page or write for the blog or anything else, please, please, join in! The more minds, hearts, and bodies involved, the truer it will be to the movement. Also, it is too much work for one person; that’s why numbers count, even for those at home, alone. Because we are not truly alone. We have each other.
I don’t think I’ll be here at After Gadget much for a while. Even I can only do seven or eight million things at once. (Especially if I don’t eat or sleep! And then, I can only do one thing at once: Breathe. And maybe whine.)
Lots of great stuff coming up about disability, chronic illness, the #Occupy movement. For example, I’m putting together a post for the General Strike on Wednesday, November 2. “What?” You say. “How can someone who doesn’t work, who is on SSDI or SSI or worker’s comp take part in the General Strike?” Well, we can!
Join me at #Occupy at Home and find out!
– Sharon, the muse of Gadget, and Barnum, SDiT-on-holiday
After Gadget 
I am very interested in this. Thanks for posting about it! I will follow your new blog.
Oh WOW! So cool, Sharon thanks! As soon as I get out of bed and to my computer (I’ve done a lot of work with this little phone but…) I will go link, like and tweet your #occupyathome (is that too long of a hash-tag?) accounts.
I see you expect to be really busy. You will be! And I’m truly looking forward to the resources and information you will be sharing. I’ve been having a good streak where I can “occupy” pretty much all day, and as much as I’d like it to last forever, it won’t. So I’ll eventually be horizontal and looking for more I can do without leaving my home. GREAT IDEA!
Awesome!
I helped out for the first day or two with my local OccupyDallas but I’ve been battling serious fatigue sincethen and haven’t been back. I blog about that over at standingupformyself though, and tweet at caitmac_dfw
Thank you so much! Please spread the word to others with chronic illness and disabilities that prevent them from embodied occupying to follow, like, share, etc. I also want to get a blogroll going of PWDs/chronics who are occupying, and what they need and how we can organize to support them so #Occupy is inclusive/accessible to as many as possible.
Cait, that is awesome! I can understood how you would be getting big pyback from that. I will check out your blog and follow you. Please help spread the word.
Kathy,
I hope #occupyathome isn’t too long. I had to try soooo many different handles to get one. A lot of people are using variations on this as a joke. In fact, if you see #occupyhome as a hashtag, it’s usually people making fun of OWS, e.g., “I have to go #occupyjob and then drive to #occupyhome” etc.
I want people to know we’re not a joke, and that we CAN make a difference. We are part of the 99%, and most PWDs are at the lowest bottom rung of the 99%.
And you know what? Using humor helps start the conversation. I posted a picture of a gallon of milk with some verbiage about “I am the 2%” and that finally broke the ice with some people. Whatever works!
LOL. That is awesome! If you posted one percent milk, you could have said, “This is the one percent!” 😉 I used humor in my “Breaking up with my bank” post, though I don’t know if anyone “got” it. (It was making fun of those “women’s articles” that talk about dumping your bf and/or losing weight “in 3 easy steps!” It is here: http://occupyathome.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/i-broke-up-with-my-megabank-in-3-easy-steps-you-can-too/