So many autistic people have spoken. Spoken up, spoken out, spoken like a boss. Spoken as though they know what they’re talking about–because they DO.
In the beginning, they gave me a gift: the window to my Within, the login and password to my operating system.
Now that I’ve leveled out my learning curve (for the most part, anyway), these people–and others–come forth and speak for me, too. They’re not meaning to. They’re intending to speak for themselves. But their words and their stories echo and mirror mine.
For a long time, there was a canyon. I stood on one side. The world stood on the other. I could never figure out how to cross it, or even to build a bridge.
But even the Grand Canyon has an “Echo Point”, a place in which you can perch and shout and be heard throughout the land, as far as the ear can hear.
It turns out that not the whole world is on the other side of this canyon, inaccessible to me. It turns out that there are plenty of people on my side, too. And collectively, we’re finding our echo point.
Light travels faster than sound, though. We think at the speed of light, the speed at which one brain cell can transmit electrical signal to another in a coordinated handoff. So we may think and dream and imagine, but our voices only carry so fast at once.
And then there’s sleep; we all have to do it sometime.
So we can take turns standing at the Echo Point, probably several of us at a time. And we’ll echo each other’s voices when applicable (which, often, it is), and even when we go to sleep or engage in another activity, our voices will echo and ring.
So many of you, by speaking for yourselves, are speaking for so many others. Whatever you have to say, there’ll always be someone else out there nodding, me too. You never know whose life you saved or whose game-changing turning point you spurred just by reaching out.
I’ve come across blog posts that were written 4-5 years ago. They still spoke to me in the spring of 2016, and they still speak to me now, and I imagine that they will probably speak to me my whole life.
By speaking “for”, I mean that they’re expressing what I could not, naming what I could not, explaining the mysteries, and solving the puzzles.
I’m eternally grateful for those people. And I’m equally grateful to all who have come forth and thrown their hat in the blogging ring since then. And I’m grateful in advance for those who will in the future.
Grab your microphone and tell your story. Don’t worry too much about the first-person singular or plural forms. I’ve noticed that those who pour out their hearts and minds are generally those of genuine intentions. Your voice matters. Sing it loud. ❤
❤
❤
❤
we speak
we seek
they aint
no fucking me
cos as you see
i am me
not you
your path
is not mine
which is fine
as a kid
i can tell
you of a living hell
and then
having
it minimised
by son tom
and his mom
a wound that will not heal
you have no idea
how angry i am
nor how i feel!
LikeLike
Yes we need to sing it loud because it’s our story and worth singing about.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Absolutely!! 👏🏼👏🏼💓💓
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for writing this! It’s often hard for me to keep speaking when there’s so many people out there who want to shut everyone down, but you’ve reminded me that speaking out matters & that I shouldn’t be afraid of letting my voice be heard 🙂
LikeLiked by 5 people
Damn straight, luv! They can be grumpy on their own blogs. Nobody should tell you what to do with yours or try to take away your voice 😘💚💙
LikeLiked by 2 people
♥♡♥ and I listen to you ♡♥♡
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, my lovely friend! Likewise 😘😘😘❤️💗💗
LikeLike
Yes! I know ♡♥♡
Now I’ m on holidays in Sicily at my parents residence. So fine! Have a good time you too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! You too! 💙💜💙. Sicily sounds beautiful! I have seen pictures and would love to visit there 💞🌟💞
LikeLike
I’m waiting for you
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wouldn’t miss it for the world! Would love to see you sometime 💗💗💗
LikeLike
I would like too! Yeah!!! ♥♥♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent! It may be a long time before I can get over there but when I do, I will certainly leave a comment on your blog or something to let you know! It might take me a few years to save up the money for a trip but I really really want to 😘😘😘😘💟💓💟🙌🏼🙌🏼💪🏼💜💙💚🌷
LikeLike
Ok! You are my spiritual sister ♥♥♥♥♥ I will happy to meet you ! When it will happen…no matter when…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! You are my spiritual sister, too 💚💙💜💓💓😘🤗
LikeLike
Made me think of this song…. I copied part of the lyrics…😘😘😘🎵🎼🎶🎤🎶🎶🎵🎶🎶🎙🎶🎶💪💌💌💌
One Voice
Barry Manilow
LYRICS
Just one voice
Singing in the darkness
All it takes is one voice
Singing so they hear what’s on your mind
And when you look around you’ll find
There’s more than
One voice
Singing in the darkness
Joining with your one voice
Each and every note another rock
And hands are joined and fears unlock
LikeLiked by 5 people
Awww that’s beautiful! Thank you so much for posting that 😘😘😘🤗💪🏼💓💚💜💙🌷💝🌺❤️♓️♍️🌇🍾🌌🌟🌟🌟
LikeLiked by 1 person
See how brave I am?! I admitted to knowing a Barry Manilow song. Not only knowing *a* song, but knowing one that fits the subject matter. 💪👍😝
Maybe instead of brave it just makes me old😕😒😩🙊😆💌💌❤💛💚💙💜💖🌻🌴😎😘
LikeLiked by 3 people
Lol nah I’ll vouch for brave 😉😉👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼😘😎💞💙💜💚🌹🌺🌴👊🏼🌟
LikeLiked by 1 person
But seriously, it totally fit! Excellent pick 😁🤗💓💗💓💗💓
LikeLike
You started it with that excellent post! 😍💖😘Your words triggered the memory of the song. And thank you my Cosmic Sister Dude, it’s not a bad song…just Barry Manilow 🙊😘😘💖
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol 😘😘😘❤️🌟. True that! 💪🏼🌴🌹😍🌺😉💚💙
LikeLike
Cheers for being brave, Gran!!!👏 🎉 This reminds me of an incident at school, I might share that on my post some day. I can only say I wish I was as brave as you back then 😝
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wasn’t brave back then. I was a co-dependant mess for a long time. Lots of therapy and self examination. Learning to love & like myself, that’s where I learned to be brave.
Do your post from school. I always love reading your thoughts and experiences😍😍😘😘☯☮💖🌻🌴😎
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yup, I will share my experience … you can laugh at my silliness then 😜 😝 😛
LikeLiked by 1 person
Only if you laugh with me. Silly is good. Silly is fun!😍🃏😋😄
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’ll laugh my ass of with you any day, girl! Belly laughs all around 😂😘😘❤️💜💚
LikeLike
Oh, uh…neurons only actually transmit information at around 240km/h.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Aw damn lol. Well hell, it sounded poetic, though, right? 😉😊💙
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s still pretty fast
LikeLiked by 2 people
Agreed 😊😎💜
LikeLike
Yes!!! Love this! I can tell you that getting my voice out there ( on *my* terms and not a publisher’s 😉) and hearing voices of others echo back really bolsters me. I felt like I was just a crazy, sad little thing wandering in the desert by myself till I began to hear others’ experiences like my own. Thank you for your wonderful thoughts, soul sis.😘 Thank you to all who are bravely sharing their stories! 💓💓💓💓💓
LikeLiked by 3 people
I couldn’t have said it better 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼💞💞💞
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Brainy Versatility.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for the reblog! 💚💙. I really really appreciate that 🌺
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful :)hugs
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you very much 😊😊💙
LikeLike
Your blog is such an inspiration to me being a mom with a daughter who is autistic and has what seems like the world against her at times… I love reading your posts and hope the best for you. I also nominated your blog ❤️
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh wow, thank you so much! Both for your kind words and for the nomination ❤️❤️. Please give yourself and your daughter hugs for me 💞💞
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your welcome😊and I will ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awesome! 🙂 🙂 ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for writing this post. I am so grateful for all the autistic voices out there, I wouldn’t be where I am without them. It’s a curious phenomenon, and one that still keeps me from definitely “coming out”: when I listed to all these voices, read all these blogs, I feel part of the community, because I can see myself in other people’s experiences. Not all of them, obviously, we are all individuals, but I see that I have enough in common with them to feel that I’m like them and they’re like me. But then, when I pick up one of the more medically orientated books, or look at the official criteria, I can’t see myself anymore. I’ve disappeared. I’m not there. There is such a gap between the two viewpoints, and it’s very difficult to make sense of it.
It’s all of you out there, your #actuallyautistic voices (and the voices of friends and allies), that keep me sane. One motivation for writing my own blog was that I wanted to give something back to the community which is giving me so much. So thank you, all of you, and thank you, Laina, for putting it all so well in your post.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You’re very welcome, dear friend! ❤️❤️
You said it so well:
“I listed to all these voices, read all these blogs, I feel part of the community, because I can see myself in other people’s experiences. Not all of them, obviously, we are all individuals, but I see that I have enough in common with them to feel that I’m like them and they’re like me.”
That’s totally how I feel, too! 😁💞💞
And here:
“It’s all of you out there, your #actuallyautistic voices (and the voices of friends and allies), that keep me sane.”
Hell yeah!! 😘👍🏼
Thank you so much for your kind words of support and encouragement, my dear one. I can never put into words just how much that means to me! 💚💙💜
LikeLiked by 1 person