Finding ways to open the minds of non-autistics to the lovely hearts and minds of autistics is my goal this month. A lot of my life so far has been spent asking myself why I am so often misunderstood. Yes, my body always has a mind of its own, and it is often acting on its impulses, but my heart is pure and my mind is sharp. However, many cannot try to see through my body’s impulsivity to the beautiful, intelligent, shining star underneath. This makes for what I like to think of as misunderstanding the many things that make up so much of me. Trying to get over this always makes me wonder what I can do better to spend time advocating for more understanding.
When my body is acting on its impulses, my brain is shouting, “Stop!”. Being trapped between an impulsive body and a superior intelligence whenever I try to engage in interaction with people feels incredibly frustrating. What I see is many kind looks of confusion and sometimes deer in the headlights looks of confusion. There are so many gifts within me that are meant for the world to see, but when people become challenged by my body’s impulsivity, doors close to the possibility of understanding.
A lot of the differences I have become the bridge that I create to share in life with my daring sister and parents. My differences enable me to have tremendous compassion for others. When I try to show this compassion it can be hard to have my body make the movements I want to make to act on my feelings. My body doing some awkward movements makes it hard for others to see my caring heart when it is feeling some serious emotions. I hope this helps people think about my body and why it is so necessary to look past it to the possibilities within.
April is the month typically set aside for Autism Awareness. Listening to autistics is essential. Can we try to get in an expansive mindset and each make a commitment to raising awareness about autism, to increasing acceptance of autistics as full members of society, and to embracing autistics as they are in their full and gorgeous beauty?