Meri toob rahu ja vabaduse / The sea brings peacefullness and freedom

Tervetel inimestel on vôimalus teha mida tahes – piirangud seavad vaid aeg ja pealehakkamine. Puuetega inimeste korral on asi mônevôrra keerulisem – motivatsioon ja pealehakkamine vôivad nö “üle ajada”, aga piirangute nimekiri on kohati üsna enneolematu – olenevalt konkreetsest puudeliigist, võib abistajavajadus olla lausa elutähtis (hingamisaparaatide korrashoid jms).

Puuetega inimesed peavad suures osas oma igapäeva mööda saatma nii, nagu suurem osa maailmast seda karantiini ajal tegi. Ei mingit erinevust. Kuna just sônnik pidi meie kunagise Eesti presidendi sônul tulevase ilu väetiseks olema, sunnib see sônnikus siplemine ka puuetega inimesi ja nende heaolu eest seisjaid endale rohkem ilu looma.

Puuetega Naiste Ühenduste Liidu väga energilise ja optimistliku naisaktivisti, Külli Haava, eestvedamisel toimuvad mônel korral iga aasta juulikuus täiesti uskumatud seiklused purjekatega. Üritustesse on liidetud tänuväärselt palju tugevaid vabatahtlikke, kes peavad üles näitana erakordset leidlikkust mône väga raske ja keerulise puudega inimese abistamisel väikestesse kiirpurjekatesse ja sealt tagasi kai peale. Nalja saab, vôin lubada! Kôrvalised liiga lähedale tulnud pealtvaatajad vôivad saada ka mône ootamatu sinika, aga mis seal ikka  

Üks selline üritus toimus laupäeval – päeval, mil ilm otsustas Pôhja-Eesti korraks hoopis Vahemere äärde sokutada – mônus (mitte palav) päike saadetud soojast, leebest tuulekesest, mis fotograafide rôômuks purjedel pôsed vormikalt punni puhus.

Mina ei kuulu kindlasti mingi kriteeriumi järgi ühegi inimgrupi enamuse hulka, aga puhtalt enda vaatevinklist saan raudselt kinnitada, kui tôhusalt selline soojalt pôski paitav päike ja leebe meretuul lainetel purjeka suunda sobivaks manööverdades KÔIK muremôtted minema viib ja tohutult nalja toob, kui purjesid nööridega ôigesse suunda liigutav kapten soovitab paadirooli vasakule-paremale-otse- “kannapööre” (teostatav ka käsipiduri ja siduripedaalita, nagu ma teada sain) ja “rahulikuma kaarega” pöörata. Erakordne. Lisaks toob lainetel liuglemine suurema vabadustunde, kui arvata oskaks ja paljud puudelised eriti tihti tunda saavad. 

Kahtlustan, et teatav armastus mere ja mereôhu vastu soodustab selle ajaveetmisviisi nautimist, aga tôenäoliselt sütitab purjetamine selle armastuse ja kôige pôlglikumas südames.

Oma töökohtades, mida minu vanuse kohta juba päris palju on, ei lase oma môistusel uut luua kunagi ainult töö enda pärast – mina vajan kolleege ja nendega suhtlemist, tuliseid tööalaseid vaidlusi (avatud kontorite rôômud 😀 ), söögikoha valimist lôunale minekuks ja viimaste kolleegidega ka môningast reisimist tööandja kontoritesse teistes riikides ja unustamatutele konverentsidele kaugemal, millega kaasnes alati ka küllaltki seikluslik lennujaamades orienteerumine koos kohvrite oskusliku manööverdamisega.
Endiste kolleegidega taaskohtumised on minu jaoks alati väga toredad (ma ei suuda niimoodi paugust meenutada ühtki kolleegi, keda ma näha ei tahaks), kuigi saatuse poolt minule ettelükatud piirangute tôttu on see kahetsusväärselt harva ettetulev rôôm.

Suurel osal neist puuetega inimeste üritustest, ja ka laupäevasel purjetamisel, on fotograafiameti enda kanda vôtnud minu endine kolleeg Äripäevast, Raul Mee (ka blogis esitletud piltide autor), kes meie koostöö ajal käis pildistamas ühiskonna ärivaldkonna koorekihi olulisemaid esindajaid, mistôttu oli ühel talvisel üritusel temaga kogemata kombel puuetega inimeste üritusel kohtumine minu jaoks küllaltki rabav ja tôeliselt rôômustav üllatus (inimestes on selgelt peidus rohkem, kui nad esmapilgul paista lasevad) – tema mulle neist purjetamisüritustest osa vôtmist soovitaski ja ônneks on targemate inimeste kuulamine minusse sisse kasvatatud juba titest saadik. Ka seekord tasus see end kuhjaga ära!

Kui ma läksin Amsterdami ülikooli magistratuuri, korraldas sealne tôeliselt tänuväärne Rahvusvaheliste Üliôpilaste Vôrgustikorganisatsioon (ISN) meile tohutul hulgal tutvumisüritusi selle imelise linna ja üksteisega.

Ühes brožüüris oli kirjutatud üsna väljakutsuvana soovitus “Ütle kôigele “jah”, mis vaevalt kahekümnendates noortele tudengitele küll omajagu nalja ja soovituse-suunalisi pilkavaid kommentaare tôi, aga iseenda kôlbluse piire kindlalt paigal hoidvale inimesele on see soovitus KULDNE. Kuldne, mu sôbrad – saamata ei jää ükski naljakas vôi totakaski kogemus (môni inimene on vist sündinud klouniks), mida ka pika aja möödudes üksteisega vesteldes itsitades meenutada saab. Ja mis sündmuse toimumise ajal kôhulihased tôeliselt proovile paneb vôi meeltele erakordse rahu toob. Kogemused rikastavad meid – ärge jätke end vaesusesse virelema! 

Haarake kõike, mida elu teile pakub – ta teeb seda põhjusega – ja laske võimalusel end ka lainetel kanda ja tuultel juhtida.

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Healthy people can engage themselves in whatever action they please – there are only limitations imposed by the time and motivation. The limitations are somewhat more complicated for the disabled people – there might be more than enough motivation and initiation but the list of restraints could exceed all the limits of a normal understanding – depending on the specific disability, the need for assistance might be vital in some more serious cases (monitoring the respirator machines etc.).

The disabled people have to spend their everyday mostly in the way everybody did during the quarantine. No difference. As the excrements are supposed to be a fertilizer for our more beautiful future according to the president Estonia once had, this struggle in the fertilizer forces the disabled people and the people standing out for their wellbeing to be more active creating more beauty.

A very active and positive member of the Association of Estonian’s Disabled Women Associations, Külli Haav, organizes quite unbelievable sailing-adventures every year in July. There are a lot of strong volunteers who must be extraordinarily creative in some cases helping or lifting the disabled people in the sailboats and out of them. Funny moments are guaranteed to join the undertaking, I promise.

One of such events was held on Saturday – on a day when the weather had decided resolutely to bring the Meditarrean weather to North Estonia – really enjoyable warm (not hot) sunshine accompanied with warm mild breeze that was very welcome in the photographers’ point of view, expanding the colorful sails to their fullest.

Although I don’t claim to represent any majority in any field, I can assure you that this warm sea breeze, sun and vawes can wash away ALL the problems one might have very effectively. It also brings incredible joy to follow the instructions of the captain to turn the sailboat right-left-straight ahead or make a 90 degrees rotations (that can apparently be accomplished without the handbrake and the clutch pedal 😀 ). Remarkable enjoyment. 

On top of that, the gliding on the vawes offers a greater feeling of freedom and liberty than one might expect and the disabled people can experience very often. 

I suspect that the love for the sea and sun is somewhat a prerequisite to enjoy this adventure but sailing most probably ignites in even the most reluctant hearts.

In the places I’ve been employed (a bit larger number than one might expect assuming my rather young age) I’ve never worked only for love for the work itself – I really need colleagues and the communication with them, the heated arguments for different work-related aspects (the bliss of the open offices 😀 ), discussing about the restaurant to have lunch in and miscellaneous travelling with my last employer to its different offices in different countries and also visiting the unforgettable conferences even further away that was accompanied by the adventurous orientation in the airports with skillful maneuvering of the suitcases.

Meeting with the ex-colleagues are always very cheerful and expected events for me although fate has decided to make it very difficult for me.

In most events held for the disabled people, the main photographer happens to be Raul Mee (the author of the pictures presented in this blog post) my ex colleague from the business daily Äripäev. At the time we worked together he was focused on taking pictures of the most prominent people in the business world, so meeting him by accident in one of the disabled people’s events in the winter was a quite a shocking and very happy surprise for me (there is clearly more hidden in a person than one might expect in a simple glance)– he was the one to suggest these sailing events to me and as I’ve been raised to listen (and pay attention) to smarter people, I followed his advice. It really paid off!

When I left to Amsterdam to study in the Masters, the thankworthy International Students Network there (ISN) arranged many many great events for us to better get acquainted with this amazing city and each other.

There was a rather outrageous suggestion “Say “yes” to everything” in one of the brochures. It was a bit funny and deserved many mocking comments from us, only slightly over 20 year old students at the time, but for those who can keep control of the limits of their morality, the suggestion is GOLDEN. Golden, my friends – one is never left aside from the hilarious or silly occasions (some people have clearly been born as clowns). These occasions can be remembered with the people sharing them years later with hard giggles. And during these occasions one’s abs can have a proper workout or give total rest and peacefulness to the mind. Experiences enrich us – don’t leave yourselves struggling in the poorness.

Grasp every option life lets you choose – it does this for a reason – and allow the vawes carry you and wind guide your way, when possible.

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