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I made this video over a month ago, and I’ve been so exhausted and burnt out that I haven’t gotten around to posting it until now, but I think it’s appropriate, because April is that magical month where everyone is talking about autism. There’s considerable debate about whether this is “Autism Awareness” or “Autism Acceptance” month…so I’m going to go with “Autism Awesomeness.” I let myself post all nine minutes and thirty seconds of this awkward story instead of limiting myself to my usual five minutes because DAMMIT, if I can’t take up virtual space this month, when can I?
Having said that, I know the odds that anyone will listen to the whole thing are low, so here’s a summary: I took a beginning sailing class. I knew I was in autistic burn out, but I still showed up so that I would get my money’s worth. It did not go well. BUT – this gave me compassion for what my students deal with on a daily basis, and it gave me a lot of insight into reactions I’ve seen a few of them have during class. It also gave me compassion for folks working in customer service positions who get overwhelmed and bolt.
Are you autistic? Can you relate? Feel free to share your awkward stories of overwhelm in the comments so I know it isn’t just me!