If you are afraid, come out

If you are awake, come out

Come out, and level up!

Level Up

Music and Theatrical performances fill my being with a spiritual wholeness from outside of myself. In concerts, when the performer stands back from the microphone and the crowd sings, I am moved by the one-ness of the audience. For just a moment, we all agree on something.

Also, I am a lyrics girl; I love both poetry and storytelling. I am a sucker for minor keys, the music that guides the emotional release. A comic line (From the Red Green Show) that my family appreciates is, “As sure as I know a song is supposed to start out fast, go slow, then get fast again…!” Right?!

OK. Getting to the point. First: Watch this video of Vienna Teng’s, “Level Up.”  If you feel you don’t have time to watch, just hit play and keep reading. Multi-task. You can do it, I played it about 20 times while I wrote this post. (But seriously, watching it is awesome.) Note: click CC, the lyrics are so great in this with the video.

A few weeks ago, I shared this in a group discussion and decided – what a perfect match!  World Down Syndrome Day and Level Up!

World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD), 21 March, is a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012. Last year on WDSD, Marcus and I spoke at the United Nations. (OMG, has it been a year?) This year I plan to watch via webcam, usually live tweeting as much as I can and crying in the coffee shop as each self-advocate takes the podium. We’ve come so far and there is so far to go…

If you are afraid, give more
If you are alive, give more now

So you’re afraid? So what? The only answer is to give, give more.

I tell our story, I share our words, I try to magnify the work of others doing bigger…things. Taking on bigger monsters. Does it even matter? Are these sands on the beach adding up?

Yes, you are only one
No, it is not enough
But if you lift your eyes, I am your brother

Guess what friends, we are each only one. Click To Tweet

I feel like that is why the Random Acts of Kindness World Down Syndrome Day campaign is so worthwhile. So many “only ones” spreading their positive messages and advocacy on a very personal level. When this idea launched a few years ago I thought – Perfect!

People with Down syndrome and their allies have been fighting, scraping, and rejoicing with each “level up” over the recent history. Then again, sometimes it feels like we take two steps forward and then get pushed three steps back.

Begin again
Dynamite the dam on the flow

This is a #WDSD18 Challenge and a #bloghop.

What’s your next level up?

How are you celebrating each level up?

And this is where we start.
This is the day we greet.

This is a #WDSD18 Challenge and a #bloghop. There are so many ways people with Down syndrome raising the bar. Let's #LevelUpWDSD Click To Tweet

We are all at different points of our journey. There are so many ways people with Down syndrome are raising the bar. There are ways we, as allies, must level up, too.

Tell us what you, and your loved ones, are doing this month to level up the world for people with Down syndrome. Or, and just as importantly, tell us about the level up of  ONE PERSON with Down syndrome.

 


PS – I particularly hope that my writer/ally friends will consider joining in. I know you know one guy with Ds you can celebrate with us. 🙂

PPS – Again, link as many as you want, just remember comment/share two for each one you post.

PPPS  (Is that a thing?) –  My FTSF Peeps, who provided a song-based prompt this week…it’s like we’re on the same plane…almost. I didn’t follow the full line of “10 songs/pieces of music that changed me.”  Dudes. You don’t have time for that.

Let's #LevelUpWDSD Click To Tweet