It is hard to believe that it has been over two months since my father sustained his injury and the complications that we have been through as a family. Then there is the multitude of issues and I finally understand what I need to know to stay well. Now the next piece of importance is understanding my priorities and caring for myself.

There has been so much going on in life that I too must be able to focus on myself while being able to make multiple sacrifices to be strong for my family, yet I I’m must also recognize the need to care for myself when there are challenging moments that come with participating in visiting my father and getting to and from the facility that he is in.

That means that there’s times that I am going to have to do things that are not going to be as enjoyable as what I find pleasure in, but it is teaching me the adulting skills necessary to be a contributing and supportive member of my family. Central to this responsibility is the importance of always being mindful of my mental health and autistic challenges by putting the necessary pragmatics into practice when needed the most.

I know I can be strong and do the things that I need to do when I must do them. It does not mean that I act in childish in nature to mother as it has been a long practice in expressing myself when I don’t want to be an adult and do the things that she knows that I am capable of. She needs my support now more than ever and therefore it is important at this crucial juncture in my life to be my best and be there for her.

Despite common misconceptions, autistic individuals can show empathy in their own kind of way that is shown in the ways that those close to them feel and see more often than any stranger on the street. We can be gruff in our ways when things come out that we don’t like to hear or require us to give a little more of our personal time towards the needs of those that need us the most.

If we have family that loves us greatly such as mine they know us well enough to only push us as far as they know we can be pushed and that they honestly wouldn’t ask us for support if they really didn’t need our support in helping them get through their own challenges.

In the end it’s teaching us as autistic people that there’s things in life that we just have to do because that’s what the social norms are and even though it takes us from the things that we enjoy, it is greatly appreciated in others that know we can use our talents and be there for support too.