This new section will be a place for various observations about life as a late-diagnosed neurodivergent person (with autism and ADHD).
When I look back on my growing up years, Iām boggled at how much time I spent in places and situations that felt uncomfortable to meāso much of school, church, and youth group, especially.
But it was all I knew; it was the air I breathed. There was no use in paying attention to my feelings of discomfort, because they were just part of how the world was. There wasnāt even a concept of āI am feeling uncomfortableāājust āthis is how life feels.ā
Now, decades later, as I sit at my kidsā dance studio feeling uncomfortable with the noise and people moving around me, I understand that this is not just how the world is. This is an experience of suffering particular to my special needs (i.e., autism)ā which now I do pay attention to, make discerning choices about, and find ways to accommodate.
Life feels infinitely better now, and Iām infinitely grateful.