A Message of Self-Empowerment In Honor of Disability Pride Month
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"Being unapologetic is a surreal blessing."
In honor of pride month coming to a close, Good Reasons presents to you our wonderful Good Reasons associate, Anastasia!
Anastasia's messages of self-empowerment and self-love, her writing accomplishments (she’s in the process of publishing her own book), and her contagious smile give CBS and Good Reasons so much to celebrate! She serves as a constant inspiration to be brave, pursue dreams, be kinder to oneself and to others, and take the time, especially during Disability Pride Month, to celebrate the beauty of the disability community. We interviewed her to collect some of her thoughts in the spirit of celebrating Disability Pride Month.
Q: What is your story?
Q: What is your book about?
A: “I can’t give away much because I’m in the process of getting it published, but I can share that it has 25 chapters. I got to write it my way, on my own. I started writing it when the pandemic started, and I was really glad I did. I talk about how clothing has no gender. We were all born to not care about our singing voices, hairdos, and any transformation changes. Be free, be you, be out, be proud, and continue to fight for the things you’ve worked for your entire life. You must celebrate your successes and your quote-on-quote failures. We all must remember there is no such thing as failure. Failure is life trying to move you in a different direction. You must embrace all of yourself.”
Q: What would you like to say to those in honor of disability pride month?
A: “To anybody who has any type of disability: they are loved, they are gifted, they are meant to be here on this planet for a reason. Continue to brighten your smile. You brighten someone’s day even if they didn’t ask for it. Be an inspiration, a leader, a voice of reason, and a dream-maker. That is my message to those with disabilities in honor of disability pride month.”
Q: What are you most proud of?
A: “I am most proud about being the woman that I am. The one thing I’ve learned is to never label myself. People will look at me a certain way but what matters is I know who I am. Never allow anyone to silence you under any circumstances. I’ve learned to be the bigger person, take the high road, and never let anybody silence me regardless of circumstances. Rather than comparing myself to other people like I did for years, I say, “I am who I am.” I focus on me, my joy, my happiness.”
Q: How does working at Community Based Services make you feel?
A: “Working at CBS [Good Reasons] makes me feel wonderful about myself. The people who I interact with and have become friends with, the staff is wonderful, we’re like a family here. I love it here. I celebrate my experience here at CBS.”
Q: What's your favorite part about working here at Community Based Services?
A: “My favorite part is being able to come in and brighten the staff with my smile. Take on a new day when that new day comes. Being employed at CBS makes me feel like an inspiration. It sets the right tone, the positive attitude, and being able to go home at the end of the day and say, ‘I accomplished something.'”
Q: How do you envision a perfect world?
A: “How I envision the world is a world where people help other people. I love seeing random acts of kindness. Even if you don’t know the person, still do something nice. I would like to see more people helping other people out in this world. Be able to lend a hand even when they say they don’t need it, because kindness goes a long way. I want to continue to be kind and never stop doing it. People get bitter and for what? There are going to be dark times in everybody’s lives, but you must learn to fight through your bad days, your struggles, and keep going. Take as much time as you need, but don’t wait it out too long, life is going to continue on with or without you, and I’d rather it continue with you in it. Whenever you’re irritated or agitated by someone’s behavior, it’s a reflection of you.”
Community Based Services is lucky to have someone as special as Anastasia on the team. She advocates for matters that are essential to everyday life. Like Anastasia, CBS and Good Reasons celebrates disability pride today, during disability pride month, and every day of every year. Happy belated Disability Pride Month, everyone.
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