Today I am digging into what I love about autism. The reason
is simple, it’s easy to hear the complaints, challenges, and frustrations about
this topic but there is so much to love I can’t ignore it and I don’t want
others to think it doesn’t exist. There is one very important aspect of autism that I am very thankful for.
This is
a picture of my son and to someone else it simply looks like a picture of a boy
playing in rocks. There is much more to this picture and it’s not just a boy
distracted by rocks. In fact I am not even sure distracted would be the right
word. Intrigued seems more appropriate because once he stepped on these rocks
he heard the sound they made from his feet connecting and the rocks moving. He felt
the difference between solid ground and the movement of the rocks. He could see
there was hundreds of them and took time to inspect them. He could see each one
was a bit different and when he moved his foot through them he could feel the
way they engulfed his foot. Once he was done moving his feet through them he
used his hands to feel the textures and tossed them to hear the sound when they
landed.
What
one person may see as distracted I see as an intense interest in every detail
of the smallest things we ignore while we go about our days. If I removed him too
quickly he would protest, not because he is a “brat” but because he wasn’t
given the time to investigate. Once he is able to inspect the situation he is
content to leave. I absolutely love this about his difference! To many times it
would be considered odd, but what’s odd to me is a mind that needs to inspect,
learn, and soak in every detail is considered flawed.
I love watching
my son do these things and it happens nearly every day. No matter how many
times we go outside he finds something new to carefully inspect and figure out.
A rock, texture of dirt, bark on a tree, the feeling of grass, or how to
manipulate the movement of water on a hot day. These are just a few things I
know he sees but I also know there is much more my mind can’t keep up with and
he isn’t able to tell me about yet. The
average person doesn’t pay attention to any of this because we are so wrapped
up in the social world we don’t even see the fine points that are passing us
by.
Every
day my son with autism reminds me to live in a way that doesn’t miss the
details. That in the madness of man there are things all around us we are
missing because our average minds overlook them. Every time I hear the word autism
I think about this and how it has expanded my view on life for the better. How
it has given me the reality check I needed to slow down and stop getting so
caught up in the foolishness of life. I notice everything now, because in order
to keep up with him I have to do what I can to see the world the way he does. I
have a really hard time considering this a disability although I know that is
what it is considered.
Step outside
and feel the wind hit your face and the sun warm you up with its bright light.
Notice the branches on the trees move and a bird fly by. Feel the ground under
your feet and how the feeling changes with different textures. Hear the sounds
all around you and the smells that change everywhere you go. Then ask yourself
if this way of seeing the world is a disability or a reminder of the tiny
details we let pass us by while we are checking our text messages and trying to
keep up with the madness of man.
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