I read the above post on Facebook from Rethinking Autism yesterday and it reminded me...of how much I and others on the autism spectrum work to get through day-to-day life.  

The autistic individuals that I have met/know/am friends with are some of the most determined people I know, even when they don't appear like it on the exterior.

I am proud of every autistic individual.

I am not ready for April, Autism Awareness Month.

There is a lot of news out there regarding autism. Some I agree with and some I don't agree with.

It's just too much to take in.

Note: Sam Noble: Will you be my advocate for April? I need you to decode my thoughts and feelings and to use your great words and ability to communicate with others for me.

I am a huge fan of deep pressure and weight. Often times, I will carry around a solid copper ball by the name of Quincy.

I have had Quincy for a very long time. I love having weight in one, or both, of my hands. It meets a sensory need for me which I still don't quite understand. He (yes, I have assigned Quincy a gender) is also a great defense if I am walking home alone at night. You do not want to be on the other side of a punch with Quincy in my hand! Luckily, I have never had to use Quincy for that!

Yesterday, I FINALLY was able to make it to the gentle yoga class at the YMCA. I have been trying for over 5 weeks...going downtown, taking the elevator upstairs, getting used to the locker room, looking in the window at the yoga class...and then going home...again and again.

But I FINALLY did it! And, lol, they were randomly filming the class! So, at some point there will be a clip of me in a YMCA "video looping" thingy at their gym.

I am glad I finally went to the yoga class esterday, but the rest of the day was a HUGE struggle. I almost screamed at several different groups of people in public, because they were making very unpleasant sounds!! 

I also attracted a lot of attention to myself with my vocal stimming.



I had to wear my ear protectors to keep myself under control.


Because I did something SO big and new (at least it is for me!) I got a reward! A new sensory toy to carry around!

She's heavy, like Quincy, and very pleasing to carry around. I named her Anabelle, because she looks somewhat like me!

Also, I can hide tiny notes or written wishes inside of her!

What are social stories?

A social story is a simple description of an everyday social situation, written from the perspective of the person is it meant to help.

They are mostly written for children, but would never turn away a social story written for me that could help me with an area I am struggling to understand.

Yesterday, it was decided that I needed a social story pertaining to taking care of my jellyfish. it has been a struggle, especially because the company who manufactured and distributed the tank and jellies has misrepresented themselves.

Here is the social story my support system and I created:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monitoring Jellyfish

A social story written for Anabelle Listic, loving guardian and caretaker to Tsukimi, Willow and Smack.

Sometimes my jellyfish are healthy and swim around the tank all day.

Sometimes one or more of my jellyfish will look sad and not move much.

When they look sad I remember to:

                    Take a deep breath and relax.

                    Set a timer for 10 minutes before taking action.

                    Check their water condition.

                    Change the filter.

                    Feed them.

                    Ask for help.

I remember that there will be ups ad downs for jellyfish in any environment and that I am doing an awesome job by researching and gaining the skills to make my jellyfish tank enironment healthy.

                                                          THE END

So simple and, yet, SO helpful. I gives me the reminder I need to stay calm and remember. Social stories are usual for many different learning and growing situations :-)

I had planned to individually review each "With the Light" book in the series, but I have decided against it. Once you read the first chapter of book 1, you know whether you will like it or not.  So...either you will like the entire series or none of it.

I highly recommend this series if you are at all interested in autism mangas/comic books.

I love this series.


If you would like to read my previous blogs about With the Light go here:

Blog: With the Light: Book One

I am thankful for many things in life. 
Mostly, I am thankful for the wonderful, supportive people I know who help guide me through this stressful and confusing world.

I LOVE the show Princess Jellyfish...well, obviously I love it. It's about a girl who is shy, awkward and obsessed with jellyfish. The past few weeks, this show has been a great tool for calming me down.

I am not a supporter of Autism Speaks and this blog entry I came across explains very well why:

Autistic Hoya: Responding to Autism Speaks

Thank you Lydia for writing this.

I read this on Facebook yesterday. There are a lot of words in this that I would love to share with people.

'I Have Autism..and this is what I need and want'......... <3 
by Alicia Lile

I am mentally exhausted from several very recent stressful changes. Aside from keeping up my blog and maintaining basic daily routines, I haven't done much. Thanks to the supportive people around me I have been eating  and keeping as positive as can be expected.

I am out of words.