Milestones

Some neat milestones have come to pass recently.

First, as most of you know, I went through my principal Asperger’s diagnostic interview yesterday.

Also yesterday, this blog turned six months old! 🙂

And today, about an hour ago, this blog reached its 10,000th unique visitor.

WOW.

I’m mind-blown (as usual, in an incredibly good way).

I’m brimming with gratitude.  Gratitude that the messages carried by this blog have reached so many people.  Grateful that the comments on its posts include “thank you; this helped me”, or “I don’t feel so alone now”, or “relieved to know I’m not the only one”, and similar sentiment.  I’m extremely grateful for that feedback.  My entire goal in pressing that “Publish” button and sending those messages out into the ether, to become part of the permanent internet archive, is to help other people in whatever way they might find beneficial.  My purpose is to, from my tiny little corner of the world, somehow serve the world and contribute to the saving of humanity.  To contribute to the overall supply of constructive information and wellbeing of a deserving community.  And I’m grateful to know that it’s happening, even if in a tiny way (I’m not exactly Temple Grandin or giving speeches or scheduling appearances or anything). 🙂  I’m grateful for the community itself.  Grateful to have so many people offer me their pro-diagnosis encouragement.  Grateful to have so much support behind me throughout the process.

Grateful, too, that I have the privilege to seek formal diagnosis.  Because official diagnosis is indeed a privilege.  It should be a fundamental right.  But in societies across the world, it isn’t.  Sure, I earned the money by working hard.  Sure, I did the Google search and found the specialists through whom to seek evaluation.  Sure, I sent the emails and made the phone calls.  I know that these tasks took effort, and yes, I give myself that credit.

However, I’m privileged enough to have that ability.  I’m privileged enough to have made it through school, to have obtained a professional license, and to reside in a business-friendly place where we could easily establish a practice with comparatively little overhead (it’s still incredibly expensive and risky to do this, but there’s less red tape where we live).  I’m privileged that our business is solvent, that the funding was there, that those specialists exist, and that I can hear well enough to conduct the interviews without extra accommodations or devices.  I’m privileged that I can communicate conventionally enough to (hopefully) be understood correctly.  Privileged to have the reliable broadband internet connection with which to contact and stay in touch with those specialists and the community.

While I recognize/acknowledge and credit my own efforts, I also recognize–and, as best I can, I check–the privilege.

Because my own efforts, as focused as they may be, would likely amount to nothing without the privilege, or without the community.

Again, this is an “I’m extremely touched and humbled” post. 🙂  Please forgive the monotony, as I know I’ve written several posts like this.  I just feel it that intensely in every cell in my body and brain, and it had to come out so that I could share it, too, with others.

Essentially, I want to say Thank You!  🙂 ❤

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(Image Credit: Paul Bond)