Randomness in the New Year

What a way to ring in the new year...knee deep in throw-up and...well you get the picture.  Yes, sickness has again hit us.  And by "us" I mean Rhys and I.  We are lucky...sarcastic lucky.  Like run away as fast as you can if you are with us in a lighting storm...run fast the oppisite direction.  We promise not to be mad :)

Anyways...I *think* we are finally on the mend.  We even ventured out yesterday and Rhys was back to his ol' self...

  note to self...his arms are growing at least an inch every day so nothing is safe...even pushed all the way back on the counter...Target popcorn included!

Which brings me to another point.  I now have another excuse to LOVE Target. If you were browsing through  the Target ad last Sunday you may have passed right over the adorable little boy in the bright orange shirt smiling at you on page 9!  And if so, I’m glad!
 
The reason I’m glad?  Well, that stylish young man in the orange shirt is Ryan. Ryan just so happened to have been born with Down Syndrome, and I’m glad that Target included a model with down syndrome in their typical ad!


This wasn’t a “Special Clothing For Special People” catalog.  There wasn’t a call out somewhere on the page proudly proclaiming that “Target’s proud to feature a model with Down syndrome in this week’s ad!”  In other words, they didn’t make a big deal out of it.  I like that. 

While Ryan and Rhys have very different syndromes, it still moves me.  Even though Target didn’t make a big deal out of the fact they used a boy with Down syndrome as a model in their ad, they said plenty. 

1. They said that kids born with missing or extra chromosomes deserve to be treated the same as every other other person on this planet.
2. They said that it’s time for organizations to be intentional about seeking creative ways to help promote inclusion, not exclusion.  (It’s no accident that Target used a model with Down syndrome in this ad; it was an intentional decision.  If want the world to be a place where everyone is treated equal we can’t just sit around and watch the days tick away.  We have to be intentional.  We have to do something.)
3. They said that companies don’t have to call attention to the fact that they choose to be inclusive in order for people to notice their support for people with disabilities.  In fact, by not making a big deal out of it they are doing a better job of showing their support for the special needs community.
4. They said it’s important for the world to see people born with disabilities with a fresh set of eyes.  That it’s time for us to lay down all the inaccurate stereotypes from the past and move forward embracing the future with true and accurate ones.

So thanks Target...I'll give you my money any day!

OK...back to the New Year.  2012 is going to be grand. I've been thinking about resolutions--because that's just what you do this time of year. I want to find more ways to let the people I love know I appreciate them. I want to let go a little more--of fears, of insecurities, of the things that hold me back. Wild and free, Baby. Wild and Free.  So Happy New Year!