Fellow Steemians,
Told ya that I’d come back to this post!
Something great happened yesterday (actually, two great things, and come to think of it, they were less great and more awesome). Want to hear about it? Of course, you do, otherwise, you wouldn’t be following me!
Haha! Anyways, as the title suggests, I’m moving forward and achieving stuff! Remember the letter that I wrote to ODSP weeks ago, asking if I could start a Kickstarter or a GoFundMe campaign in lieu of the arts grant? I was anxiously awaiting their response, but none came.
I grew kinda tired of just spinning my wheels, as it were, so I said “screw it! I’m done with stressing about doing nothing”. Thus, I created and launched my campaign, (hence my post about Patreon) and worry about ODSP later.
For those of you who don’t know what ODSP is, or want a reminder, here’s the gist. ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program) gives me a very low monthly income, which barely covers my basic living expenses. However, it comes with a whole lot of caveats and stipulations, including being limited to a single income, and not really allowed to be in a relationship.
Now, before you ask, yes, I have a job and a boyfriend. However, ODSP doesn’t complain because they let me make $100 extra per month, but they don’t know about Jay yet. If they did then ODSP would cut me off, leaving me financially dependent on him. So yeah, that’s ODSP in a nutshell.
Wow, I really digressed, but hey, that’s me! Okay, so back to the great things that happened yesterday. Remember that short story that I posted, called Adaptation? Well, I finally started its sequel. The inspiration just hit me, so I went with it! That was the first thing.
The second thing that happened was during my burst of creativity, my mum called me to tell me that ODSP talked to her (I don’t know why they wouldn’t just contact me directly, seeing as how I asked for as much, but hey, that’s the government for ya). She said that ODSP would let me start a campaign, however, I can only make $10,000 in a year, and I’d have to set up another bank account.
I don’t want to limit myself to $10,000 in a year however, this is a step in the right direction. Looking back, I really believe before things could change, I had to make a switch in my thinking and shift my focus (a paradigm shift if you will) from what wasn’t happening to what I could make happen. It’s like the saying about stressing over things that are not in your control. It goes without saying that our attitudes are imperative to achieving the things we want.
Oh hey! I forgot to mention, that Jay helped me to reach out to my local MPP. We are wondering about how I can apply for the “Living Wage” pilot program, which would mean that I would get a substantial amount more than I get from ODSP, and without the caveats.
‘Til next time!