Riding the Softer Seas of Acceptance of Me

Dear Beloved Blog Readers,

I hope you are all doing well.

I sure am.

After my last post in which I was totally scared in a boat in Lake Champlain my life started to pitch back and forth. I am happy to say I am on solid ground again and I would like to tell you the story.

I am a big fan of metaphors and sailing into the waters of communication has been a big one as I took on the project of improving my typing by using it to write my movie and find people to help me to make it happen.

Now that it exists I had hopes my life would take off and it would be really clear what the next steps would be.

I found myself in an emotional sea and I have been addressing that in a variety of ways for many months. I have said that several times in these posts and many of you have lovingly written back sharing similar feelings.

Now I am on the beach and shaking the sad water out of my ears and taking an assessment of where I have been.

Oh, I know where some people think I am and that is stuck in a system that is not working. Yes, in some really clear ways I am. But I am here because I am in a body that found itself into this system because it doesn’t work in normal ways.

I want to find a big metaphor to bind together the weakness of all of this and we’ll study it while sipping iced tea.

More on this next week.

Until then think about what your weak, faulty or mismanaged areas are because we can add them into my crazy sculpture and transform it all into a butterfly.

Now, smile and breathe and think nice thoughts.

Fondly,

Mark

The Michelangelo of Colchester, Vermont

The Treasures of Sailing

Dear Beloved Blog Readers,

Hope your summers are shining brightly.

On June 29th I had my one-year anniversary for my blog posting. I want to thank Larry Bissonnette and Ibby Grace who inspired me as they are articulate intelligent writers who have autism. Please check out their work when you have a moment. Also, please send me a fine line about how you find my words assisting you. My goal is to enlighten and inspire.

I am going through some interesting times that are best illustrated by the boat ride I went on yesterday. Oh, I was unsettled by the tipping it did. Sometimes one side was high as the other was low. On the easy Vermont side of the lake was Burlington whose firm shores I wished to be on. I could see the soft mountains of the Adirondacks dearly distant. Oh, I knew right where we all were. Over a deep, deep lake filled with water.

I don’t like getting out of the shallow end of pools so this sailing excitement deserves bravery I never knew I had. Yes, my face shows my fear and yet my heart leaps with joy just like when Pascal Cheng introduced me to typing with support.

Oh, want to tell you that the captain of our small vessel had just finished a transatlantic voyage. I was so impressed to hear that.

Dear readers, allow your selves to wander into new waters.

It’s so good for our minds and souls.

Please also jot a fearless few wishes down and let them grow for the rest of the month.

On we go.

Fondly,

Mark

The Middle Aged Man and the Lake

Summer Dreams

Dear Beloved Blog Readers,

Oh, I am so happy it is summer. I am someone who does love the heat and I think things get a lot more developed in this season. That’s why I wanted to film my movie in the summer.

It is the time to get things done. I say this and feel it. Please take toll of your wishes. I am too.

This weekend we’ll be celebrating our G.R.A.C.E. (Grass Roots Art and Community Effort) connections by attending Larry Bissonnette’s exhibit at the Flynn’s Gallery. Then we’ll go in the basement to the Flynnspace to see movies that gracefully connect us. 

Hope you can come.

Larry and I will take questions afterwards.

I am sure it will be interesting.

On the night before a friend of mine, named Liam, is going to show my film at Ohio State University. 

His mom is doing an awesome job sharing our stories about using Supported Typing. I send you a big thanks, Audrey.

I am now ready to share my words to precede the screening of both:

I am Mark Utter and I wrote and starred in the film you are about to see. Aside from the fact that I am not a custodian and a few other things I altered to assist the plot you’ll see that my life was fairly typical for someone with a general 1960s diagnosis of “mental retardation”.

I was lucky to be introduced to supported typing and happily found a great facilitator who assisted this creative project to get off the ground.

I am now in a totally different place in my mind and working to change things in my life.

In the process of making this film I learned so much about how projects get done. Now I’m working on getting a business created so I can make a lot of projects happen.

You can learn more about what has happened since I made this film by reading my blog on my web site.  www.utterenergy.org

I also have DVDs for sale in the store at my website.

Oh, send me a comment too.

I am now sending out a prayer for your good summer.

Please know it will all happen.

Totally know that.

Fondly,

Mark

The Summer Monk of Dreams