Being an Aspie feels AWESOME!
1.)
Holodeck inside your head! Active adventures in the deepest, steamiest jungles of the Amazon basin, plunge into the icy depths of a Scottish loch,
come with all the sensory sensations as if you're there..
because you are.
I have never-- not ever-- been bored.
2.)
What peer pressure?
Aspies do as they please, and we have nobody to impress but our own pleasures. Plaid with stripes? Rock that nerdy!
3.) Bombastic, fantastic
special interests rule! Happy-geeky-nerdy passions like this make life so fulfilling!
4.
When we enjoy something, we really enjoy it! Few others can lose themselves in music, the delights of movement, the flavor of a savored snack, or whatever we are enjoying to such an intense degree of pure enjoyment.
5.)
Our Inner Child isn't all that inner! Many of us delight in Pixar therapy, rock at computer games, and lose ourselves in play with our toy cars, rocket ships, dinosaurs, model trains! We adults happily swing, bounce, climb, spin, tumble, and bounce.
GO sensory breaks!! For noms, we love tater tots, juiceboxes, mac & cheese, chocolate milk, pizza... the good stuff.
6.)
We sense things others can't, and we know it. If we like you, we may not always understand everything in our interactions, but while you're gabbing at us,
we are busy appreciating very special qualities about you that others may miss. Sensitivity can be good.
Being an Aspie can feel challenging.
1.)
Awareness is challenged and variable, so our safety can be compromised. That feels scary.
2.)
Sensory overload can overwhelm us when we're out to dinner with you, or meeting you at a café. Fog-out alert!!
3.)
It's ouch-y to be excluded from social group outings, rejected for differences in our behavior. We just don't "get it" socially. Learning social skills is lifelong for us, but the moment we're "ourselves," we often put our foot in it, bigtime.
4.)
Communication challenges mean that often in critical interactions, stuff gets real. Communication is the basis for relationships. Friends, family, lovers, boss, co-workers, children, therapist, loan officer at the bank, landlord all need us to listen and speak well.
When we miscommunicate, the consequences can be epic.
5.)
It feels risky & odd to need to surround ourselves with those who are especially understanding. Patient, understanding, "forgiving" people who can understand that we didn't mean to be inappropriate, make our lives better.
6.)
"Social burnouts" can be painful and sideline us. Few understand our need to recover/recharge in
solitude. We must carefully budget our social energy, in order to function.
We're thinking of you-- I promise.
7.)
It feels "alone" to be locked in with our emotions, wishing someone would take the time to respectfully connect with us. We are waiting for you to enter our world.
Overall, I love being an Aspie!
Let's hear it for our groovy neurology!
Challenges notwithstanding,
Autism isn't just a "disability," it's also an extra ability!
