The other day, I saw a man become so engrossed in his sausage roll that he stepped out into the road, a second after the traffic lights had turned to green, and found himself narrowly avoiding becoming an interesting new bonnet ornament for an Aston Martin Cygnet. The driver slammed on the car’s brakes and came face to face with someone who had, in a crowded urban area, made rather a twit of himself, with his pastry snack still firmly in hand. No horns were beeped and no commotion was made. The man crossed the road and the Aston carried on its merry way. No harm done.

Having seen the whole thing, however, I couldn’t help but smile because I could see myself in this bloke. Maybe that’s how I’ll go one day, by not paying attention whilst my eyes are busy being bigger than my belly. I love food, be it a sneaky Mini Roll from the cupboard when everyone is out or a full Sunday roast lovingly prepared by Mum or Dad. I always maintain that as far as I’m concerned, the roast forms part of the Holy Trinity of meals, taking pride of place alongside a well-made curry and any kind of pizza. I haven’t yet been taught to cook anything (which I’ll have to be if I go to uni) so eating food tends to appeal to me more than making it. Alongside my ever-growing appetite, however, lies an appreciation for food helping me to connect with my friends.

Whenever I meet up with someone, the chances are we’ll go for a meal. I do believe good food adds to the camaraderie we already have, and in some cases it can help us to catch up with people we haven’t seen in a while. I bumped into an old friend on the bus to work last week, someone I hadn’t seen that often for the best part of two years. It was like some people say – there are certain friends from whom you might find yourself separated for a little while, because you’re just living your own individual lives, but when you meet again it’s as if you were never apart. We have that kind of connection, and on this particular day it just so happened that we also found ourselves together on the bus home. During the journey we hatched a plan – spontaneously, too, and that’s how all the best plans come about. “Let’s go for a pizza!” I said, and we did just that. The takeaway was heaven, and it was great to be able to continue the first good chinwag we’d had in some time. Therefore, the whole thing only cemented my belief in food and the good it can do for people’s relationships. It’s just a shame he wouldn’t let me pay for it, but I have promised I will return the favour next time!

Mason

After quite a long time being adamant that I would never go, I can finally admit that I am feeling what Mum has described as “the pull of uni life.” Surely nobody could deny how heartwarming it is to see family members and friends to go solo and study a course they love – and have had their hearts set on for some time – whilst also doing a bit of living and discovering along the way. I was previously concerned that I would only be there for the social and cultural benefits, and that I might not put in all of the effort required to be successful. Recently, however, I have suddenly come to the realisation that if you find the right subject, how can the studying be that much of a bad thing? And surely everything else that comes with the university experience, everything “extra-curricular”, as it were, can enrich a person’s life and give them positive memories to last a lifetime?

With these things all in mind, university does now seem like it could be worth a shot for me. Don’t worry – my head isn’t completely in the clouds! I am fully aware of all of the more serious realities, among which are those of a financial nature and those regarding the independent living every student has to deal with, so I am going to do some research. The courses themselves seem fairly self-explanatory, but I would obviously still need to examine those that I feel could be potential choices, whilst also looking very carefully at universities that would be accessible and practical for me where my disability is concerned (I would probably need a helper for some things too). Alongside these things, I’d need to see if I could be entitled to any financial help or grants of any kind as a disabled person. There is a lot to consider, which I obviously never doubted for a second.

I should stress that going to university is a possibility in its very early stages for me at the moment. It could be at least a couple of years before I get there, but it can never hurt to know more about anything, can it? The more I read up on the things I would need to know, the more prepared I’ll be for such a big step. I do think I’d probably feel even more comfortable with as much information as possible, as would anyone in my house who is somewhat sceptical about the idea at this point in time…

Mason

Once again, we’ve reached my favourite time of year, one that contains a run of months I like to collectively refer to as “the ones that end in ber“. I will admit that I feel like I’m entering them on the back foot, as I can’t help but sense a gap in my life, of the sort that opens when you’ve stopped a long-term focus on something and find that there’s nothing to replace it. I guess I’ve made the first steps towards filling the aforementioned gap by venturing into archery, but maybe other things will have to contribute to this as well. I am, for instance, looking forward to things at work becoming slightly more manic. I think everyone will agree that they prefer the busier times to the quieter ones – I personally find that I feel much more useful when things are like that!

On the whole, my attitude to and feelings about life in general are better at this time of year than any other. Evidence of this came on 31 October last year, when I wrote a post here entitled “The November Ember”. In said post, I talked about how November 2014 had been a pretty rotten month for me (that having been my fault), and how in future I hoped to make November “a byword for positivity”. You might notice a similarity between the title of that post and this one. That’s there because I’m writing this as something of a sequel, to confirm that that plan was successful, and has since spread to cover the entire period that surrounds it. Last year, at around this time exactly, I was feeling very positive about the Creative Media college course I was starting, and although it didn’t work out in the end I have some fond memories of it and I keep in touch with some of the people I met there, Grace being one. When I left that course, I started looking for a job, and although I spent four long months without one I tried not to lose hope of finding something, and I still tried my very best to keep a smile on my face at all times.

Twelve months on, I’m feeling just as positive about the job I now have, and even though I might only have a few other things to look forward to, it’s well worth keeping this mindset. As I said in the last post, I can’t wait to go back to the archery club on Sunday, and maybe I’ll have other opportunities to meet people and more of my friends in the near future. Whatever happens, I’ll have this blog to record everything on, and that’s a prized possession as it is. It’s a constant reminder that I’ve been productive in at least one sense, and the words here will – I hope – be enough to keep life rosy as we go through the last and best part of the year, in 2016 and every year thereafter.

Mason

Tonight marked my first archery taster session at a local club, and I want to make immediately clear that it was nothing short of absolutely brilliant. In just under two hours, with Dad watching closely from the sidelines, I came from hardly being able to hold the bow thanks to a wobbly arm to seeing all but three of my arrows hit the target. Not only were they on course, in fact, but by the time we ended I seemed to be getting increasingly closer to the bullseye. And this was the first time I’d shot an arrow in six years or so! As you can imagine, all of this was incredibly encouraging and it provided a bigger adrenaline rush than I could possibly have anticipated.

Once I had been acquainted with the bow and arrows and was positioned along the shooting line (aiming to my left towards the target), I was eager to use every batch of shots – each signalled by a whistle that also indicated when the arrows could be collected – to take into account what the instructor was telling me. I pulled the bow back as far as I could, so that my hand was lightly touching the corner of my mouth, before letting go. I raised my right arm – the one I was using to pull – so that it was in the straightest and best possible position to launch the arrow through the air, and with my left arm I gripped the bow as tightly as I could whilst holding it completely outstretched. Meanwhile, my concentration was rigid and fixed on the target 10 yards away from me all times, and I tried my best to alter my aim a fraction higher, lower or to the sides if my shots were waning. These combined efforts resulted in the best workout I’ve had in ages, and the most satisfaction I’ve gained from an activity in some time. The fact that I made the target so many times proves that archery is most definitely doable for me, and silences any naysayers. When you consider that I discovered this in only a couple of hours, I was rather amazed by how quickly I was able to learn, and this also proves just how accessible archery is for everyone, regardless of anything that might hinder them. Everyone there certainly made me feel very welcome and encouraged me to take as much time as I needed.

I will gladly carry on with this, as I already feel like I’m on the crest of a wave having surpassed all of my expectations. The next step is the beginner’s course the club run, which I’ll go to for the first time next Sunday, all being well. It feels so good not only to be in the act of firing an arrow at a target, but also to be thinking about it between sessions! It is gratifying to have answered the question of whether I can actually participate, and I believe it will be even more so when I am establishing if I can be better. I can’t wait!

Mason