As challenging as life has been for my family this year, I have understood that there are just things that still must be done, even if there are changes that come in the path and there is a desire to not do them. Even though there are things that must be done, if I am well enough to do them, there is a necessity to do them and make them a priority.

I admit that the past several months has been challenging with my father being in hospitals and care facilities, especially when the present one is some distance away from home. However, there is still a necessity to be a support for my mother as we travel to see him and be there for him. I got to have some conversation time with him last week and that felt good in a way.

And as much as for various reasons that the schedule differs from the norm when it comes to things happening, there is also the necessity of having to be at work to support those in my workplace that need me to provide support, even though the previous evening can run later than I perceive to expect. As autistic people, including myself often do, I overthink about things being more stretched out than what I think they will, when in fact I got home in enough time to get things done and get the sleep I needed to go to work the next day.

Likewise, there is also the necessity of being available to do the things that are enjoyable for me and those that need it. There are times when you think that you just need to stay to yourself, however it is also about making memories with family members when you can and being your best self in those moments too, because you will never know when or if you will have them again.

It can be easy to brush off things because you don’t want to do them or that you believe that you won’t be recharged in enough time to do the next thing that you need to do, but you must make the best of the time necessary to rest also a priority, even if you want to make time for other things of interest. As much as there can be an eagerness to be selfish and only think about yourself, it is also important to think about  those that need you and if they have your best interests at heart, then they will care for you too.

In the end, you are your best self and person that can judge your own state of wellness. However, it is also important to let things play out and see if they are going to hurt you or not. There are just things that you need to be there for and as much as you may want to overthink something about being what it is, it is not that bad and if you give things time to see how they work out, they will not be that bad. You are stronger than you allow yourself to be sometimes, that is often the case for me, and I have learned in time I just need to be patient and allow things to work out for them.