![](\"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/images\/imgupload\/520f0023ea4df7577c9e0d0c08deb7d3.jpg\")
<\/p>\nI have pulled some cockamamie schemes over the years trying to incent (or rather trick) myself into being a better version of who I am particularly as it relates to being a better ward of this now old body, mind and soul, but this year\u2019s plan will take the cake. Actually, if all goes to plan there won\u2019t be any cake involved. Perhaps my fellow empaths, debu-club members, gym-rats (of my former life) and, of course, prayer warriors might rally around this to guard against the vitriol or worse the internal demons that often thwart the best laid plans. Ultimately, this is just about an old man trying to become a better person and to give back in return.<\/p>\n
Here it goes\u2026 nothing seems to motivate me enough to stop getting fatter each year. I can\u2019t even remember how many biggest loser challenges or other weight loss bets I\u2019ve lost over the years\u2014money is obviously not a great motivator for me. So, this year\u2019s carrot to lose weight and feel better will be a run for public office. That\u2019s right. I intend to run for public office this coming election, BUT (and here is the cockamamie part) ONLY IF, by the deadline to register as a candidate (Aug. 7, 2024, a little over two months from now), I lose at least 52 lbs. of body weight (because I\u2019m 52 years old, of course), log no less than 52 miles of walk\/run times and get my fastest mile to under 12 minutes. I\u2019m a far cry from any of that now\u2014mind you I\u2019m sitting around 300 lbs. in body weight and can barely walk (due to foot and knee problems) at present. Thankfully the old ticker and other health indicators are still good\u2014my doctor basically told me again that I am fat, but \u201csurprisingly\u201d healthy. Consequently though, debilitating physical ailments and pain can do a crazy number on a person\u2019s psyche and general sense of self-worth\u2014I am no exception\u2014so there will be some mental health and other co-occurring disorders work to be done as well. It is an understatement to say that this would be a monumental feat for me both physically and mentally. Essentially, I need to be a better version of myself before I can feel worthy of representing others and I\u2019d like to be someone of which my kids can be proud. On that note and speaking of monumental, I\u2019m not talking about just any public office, but I\u2019d run for the Office of the People of the Northern Mariana Islands to be CNMI\u2019s next delegate in U.S. Congress. Go big or go home.<\/p>\n
Others can talk about running their respective campaigns, but I would literally be running for Congress. Come what may.<\/p>\n
Firstly, I\u2019ll say that there are big shoes to fill in that seat and whoever gets to hold it next ought to be the best possible version of him or herself\u2014in body, mind, and soul. Equally, if not more importantly, that person needs to be someone who can see past him or herself and be a genuine representative and true reflection of the collective good in all of us including those with whom we disagree and\/or dislike. It goes without saying too that our best candidate is someone who can articulate our collective message and build functional, if not genuine relationships in the halls of Congress. With due respect to my friend and outgoing delegate, those shoes left to fill were not necessarily the biggest, best or brightest kicks in the land, but they were grounded in humility and a true sense of having walked in the shoes of others through good and bad times. The shoes of a statesman who was, \u201chumble, but not timid; strong, but not rude; proud, but not arrogant; and kind, but not weak.\u201d At my best, I can be all of those things\u2014no doubt most of us can, if we get over our inherent, bloated sense of self-importance. \u201cWhen science discovers the center of the universe, a lot of (us) will be disappointed to learn that (we) are not it\u201d (B. Bailey).<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been lamenting lately about not being able to run, literally. A combination of chronic obesity, age, and now a condition called plantar fasciitis which, in addition to excruciating pain in my foot comes with related knee problems, has nearly grounded me in these past several months. It\u2019s fair to say, I\u2019ve become substantially limited in a major life activity\u2014in this case walking and\/or running. Coincidentally, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a person with a disability as \u201ca person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.\u201d While I\u2019ve been advocating for the rights of people with disabilities for most of my life now, I have to admit that I\u2019m paying a lot closer attention to things like accessible parking and ramps going in out of buildings these days including my own home which is not fully accessible although plans are brewing to build ramps.<\/p>\n
\u201cChallenges to a person\u2019s health can happen to anyone, at any age and at any time as a result of any number of different causes. No one is immune from the potential onset of a disability: An infant can be born with profound deafness; a child can become paralyzed from a playground injury; a young adult can develop depression and drug abuse; a woman in her early 30s can be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; a man in midlife can develop Type II diabetes; and an older adult can lose vision because of glaucoma\u201d (https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK44671\/). Disabilities are a natural part of the human experience. \u201cAn estimated 1.3 billion people\u2014or 16% of the global population\u2014experience a significant disability today. This number is growing because of an increase in noncommunicable diseases\u201d due to heightened susceptibility to risk factors such as smoking, poor diet, alcohol consumption and lack of physical activity.<\/p>\n
The hard truth is that some people, through no fault of their own, endure inequities and discrimination in our society due to their disabilities. The harder truth is that some of us acquire disabilities through nobody\u2019s fault, but our own and it usually takes direct personal experiences for us to truly appreciate the need for legal protections and programs on behalf of people with disabilities.<\/p>\n
I have learned to a certain degree to be mindful of the downsides to my actions and to let the upsides take care of themselves. So, what are the downsides here? Worst-case scenario, I keep doing the same things over and over expecting a different result and slowly, but surely slink further and further into a half-ton life. Or let\u2019s say I work my butt off for the next two months and miss my target weight and\/or times? At least I worked hard\u2014life is not supposed to be easy; in fact, \u201can easy life makes weak men.\u201d Or maybe, I meet all my targets, get on the ballot for November and lose by massive margins proving how terribly unpopular I am? Well, I stopped worrying about being popular in middle school. No harm, no foul.<\/p>\n
No doubt new lessons will be learned on this journey. Still, one of the greatest lessons I\u2019ve come to understand from people in general, but certainly more from individuals with disabilities is that what often seems impossible can be possible given strong personal will and genuine support from people who love and care about you.<\/p>\n
By the way, if none of this comes to pass then I will support and vote for\u2026 [to be continued].<\/p>\n
For more on OVR programs for individuals with disabilities, feel free to contact our office at (670) 322-6537\/8 or online at www.ovrgov.net.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jim Rayphand is director of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and is a former executive director of the Northern Marianas Protection and Advocacy Systems Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I have pulled some cockamamie schemes over the years trying to incent (or rather trick)…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-409644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409644\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}