Trinkets

"Isn't that demented?... That a grown man's happiness depends on whether a nine year old catches a pop up?"(Baseball).

Well, this is a line from the movie "Parenthood."; but my response is no... Absolutely not! :). It's not demented at all. It's what I call a trinket. It's a wonderful little reason that all the trouble we go through in life is worth it. Now I'm not a parent. This is a job that I've never done. But there is no question in my mind that this the hardest job on the planet! :). Anyway, whether we are parents or not, we all have fear and anxiety at times. We all have overwhelming situations to sometimes walk through. For the individual with Autism or AS most (if not all) life situations can seem magnified under a microscope. Little things can be difficult. It can be hard not to sweat the small stuff (as they say).

But on the up side, "Aspies," and people with Autism (in particular) are often able to get a great deal of joy from little things! For example, I can't count how many times I've been excited to get up in the morning because later that afternoon I was going to the store on the corner to get a fountain drink! (Hey, you gotta get through the morning to get to the the afternoon! :). Not much, right? So? That's okay. It was a little something that I enjoyed. No, I don't do that every day, because I know soda isn't good for the system. But once in a while. But, hey, pick your pleasure! It could be a radio or TV program, a favorite place for lunch or dinner, feeling the wind on your face while you're out running errands.

One Christmas, I got Anderson Cooper's book "Dispatches From the Edge.". In it, he talks (among other things) about asking his mother (Gloria Vanderbilt), what she thought he should do when he went to college. She gave him this advice:

"Find Your Bliss."

Anyway, my mother and I have tried to make this a little daily thing that we do, as far as finding a little "bliss" each day. It could be any of the things I already mentioned or something else particularly special to you. Anderson was asking his mother about a life direction...so to speak. I like to take the idea and break it into little "trinkets," as I call them. By the way, your favorite flavor of ice cream is...? Just something to lift your mood (maybe) and keep you hopeful while this sun goes to sleep and the moon rises to her place. :)