“I want to always remember the value of a hug.”

Judy is a community member in Guelph who has been appreciating the little things this year, from finding balance, to birthday parades, to the extra kindness.
Published on July 27th, 2020.

If I had everything, I never would’ve learned compassion. Without the experiences in my life, I wouldn’t be who I am.

I fell off a horse 8 years ago and that’s what landed me in a wheelchair. That was a huge change for me and I became reliant on help from personal support workers.

The PSWs come in, they make me meals, they help me get dressed. They take me to the bathroom and they help me shower. They come in everyday and I get so much from them.

They’re overworked. I appreciate them galore. They are coming in and they’re looking after us and with COVID and all that they don’t know where we’ve been, and they have their own family to go home to.

I’m always thanking them. I always tell them, “Run and hide. Go to the bathroom. If the phone rings and you don’t feel like picking it up, don’t pick it up. If you need help, or need a sick day, ask for it.”

I love them, they’re amazing. I don’t know how they do it. I don’t know what I would do without them, they’re my lifeline. They really are. Without them I’m not able to be independent. 

Once this pandemic is over, I want to remember those little things in life that we never thought about before. I want to always remember the value of a hug. The value of somebody being there with you.

I want the extra kindness and the extra patience to stay.

It’s about seeing balance. There’s always good that comes out of the bad.

2020: In your Words is a mini-series that shares genuine and candid conversations about 2020 has impacted our community members. From the pandemic, to social isolation, to the Black Lives Matter protests, 2020 has challenged us to grow in so many different ways.

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Storytelling by Meris Kieller and The Community Company.

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