By Jon F. Advisory Board Member of YESS (Youth Empowering Social Status)
As an Autistic guy, I always knew that I was unique, even though that I’ve before mentioned, that were all unique. I would always feel isolated, a lot. The thing is before I didn’t know how to express myself very well; to highlight those differences in a way others can understand. I always thought to myself, while things were going through my mind that other folks would find value in me based on my insights, not only from experience, but also how I look at things. I often would notice that I’m the only one trying to find ways to connect in places, where I later would find out, I didn’t really belong. I would then realize that I don’t fit in well, because I’m smart in a way that makes me special. At first it was hard to understand this, but then realized I should just make the most out of what I have as resources. That’s even more true today, with this Convid-19 going around. I’ve realized it’s best for me to find ways to use things to my advantage, and think of ways to think positive about things. I would do this while realizing things, as they are, and using that to make way to my own reality as the way I saw it. One resourceful thing I realized is I have some connections, and it would maybe be enough to bridge that gap from where I would’ve been, to where I found more joy in experiencing. Well one thing I didn’t find joy in is being isolated, especially being isolated under circumstances that I wouldn’t want to be isolated in. With this quarantine thing of being isolated from others, I would only hope that folks would come to understand what that’s like. For me regardless of how things have recently been for me, I’m content with myself. It’s not fun feeling trapped in situations, ya know, that ya don’t belong. This is why home for me is not a specific place, but a feeling while enjoying things out of the ordinary.
