So I was supposed to go on a girls’ weekend this month with some college friends. You know — shopping, eating, flannel pajama pants in a rented house.

And then someone in the group chat said, “Can we not talk about politics this weekend?” And the others chimed in with, “Yes, please!”

And listen, I get it. I talk about politics a lot. It’s who I am. It’s literally my life’s work. Disability rights are politics. Public education is politics. Your kid’s IEP? Tied to federal law..... which is... politics.

But when I hear “Can we not talk about politics?” What I actually hear is:
“I don’t agree with your politics.”
“Your values make me uncomfortable.”
“I’d rather not talk about hard things.”

And you know what? That’s fine. But I’ve reached a point in life where I only have space for people who get it or at least try to. Who see me, and more importantly-Kevin, and this community.....as worth fighting for.

I get accused of being ableist when I talk about how hard this life is....but our day to day life is very hard. I'm not complaining about my son--it's the lack of support and resources for people like him. Our current state of society is that parents are propping up the caregiver system for disabled adults. I have adult man in my home with limited communication skills, who is larger than me, who has to be watched 24/7 because of the unsafe decisions he makes.

If I'm going to go to all the work to get away for 3 days, it's going to be surrounded by people who support me, otherwise....why go? If I can't share my concerns and fears about my family with this group of "friends" then what am I doing?

So I won’t be going. It sucks. But it’s also clarifying. Now I know.

Sometimes people leave your orbit. Sometimes you nudge them out with a gentle shove and a “no thanks.”

Either way, protect your peace. I'm not going to shrink myself to make others comfortable. A page follower once left this comment, I drag it out when I need to read it.

https://birdmail.s3.amazonaws.com/images/1628/20251005071759558393322_1250243270474770_6954851012484251517_n.jpg

Talk soon,
LL

PS: If you're online ordering books, don't forget to order "Your IEP Playbook." Shipping no later than 8 days!

PPS: I've had people reply to some of these emails and ask if there was a way to share them. Well, you can either go full 1998 like my dad....and forward it to your entire email address book. But, if you're patient, I will get them up in the blog section of the Village. It's also been brought to my attention that this online village of mine operate very similarly to Substack. I don't subscribe to any substacks, but for months, people have been suggesting "you should start a substack." Turns out I already have one, and it's free.

*Please note: the posts here that are in the "Sunday Night Emails" category are just that--previous emails sent out on a Sunday night. The dates/times/content may not match up with present day events because it was sent out a while ago.