I was diagnosed with autism and inattentive ADHD in November 2020. Almost immediately after I found this out, I realized I hated saying that sentence, especially the "diagnosed with" part. I am still getting used to, "I am autistic," but through those words, I feel a sense of pride and relief: they help me know myself more fully. "Diagnosed with" never sat well, and as time goes on, it's sitting worse and worse and worse.
I knew I was autistic. So why did I bother getting assessed?
Winter Sorcery
Snowmelt & Sun
A Change in the Air
This is the fourth consecutive year I've written a "year in books" blog post, and 2020 is the weirdest of them all. This year (ugh, this year) has been wild, devastating, excruciating, depressing, anxiety-inducing, heartbreaking... We've all lost so much. Where I live, the library was closed--CLOSED--for a long period of time. So if I… Continue reading 2020 in Books
Waves, Turtles, & the Sound of Water As you can see, I've decided to add an element to this ongoing series: I'm going to write up any new By the Water entries on my typewriter, scan the page, and upload the post as a photo. It feels more organic to me, and I hope will… Continue reading By the Water: Entry 2
Every day, I walk around a lake near my house. I am often overwhelmed, surprised, and enlivened by the birds, geese, ducks, herons, turtles, wind, water, rocks, waves, neighborhood cats, dogs, preteens, and all other manner of Nature and Wild Things that cross my path. I would like to sporadically share what I gain from… Continue reading By the Water: Entry 1
Even after hitting "Publish" on this post, I still don't know how I feel about the title statement. How it's worded, I mean. The ideas it represents are absolutely true. On November 9, 2020, I was assessed as having met criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In other words (and maybe… Continue reading I’m Autistic. (And I have ADHD.)
In an effort to process all that has happened in the past months, I collected and recorded what I'm calling Mantras for 2020.
