As I been really learning about autism over the past several years, one thing that I realize is that there we are not the same. There is a quote out there that “if you have seen one person with autism, you have seen just that, one person with autism.” While I heard that quote some time ago, it was not until recently that I understood heartily that autism is a spectrum disorder and that we all experience our challenges differently.

While that can be the case, it can be hard to accept that while you look to other autistic people and see all the things they can do but you can’t, it can hurt you and make you jealous or upset that you can’t do the same things that they can. Or that there are treatments that you need to keep some things at bay that in one way provide you with the quality of life that you need but keep you back in other ways and that can be a tougher pill to swallow than even the medications that I take. I guess in a way that is what has taken so long to accept and understand the necessity of medication in my own self.

However, I am learning to live my own life without longing for the things that other autistic people or even neurotypical people can do that I cannot. That is why I struggled for so long to get back on the right path as far as my medication adherence. While I liked some things, there were also the many dangers along with the concerns for my wellbeing that I did not see. That is why I had to make a pledge in 2025 with being honest with caring for my mental health and understanding that it too is a part of being autistic. That while there can be some deficits that are there, there are just as many benefits and good things that make life much better.

It is making peace with those things that I cannot do and living life as I want to, fully understanding I am who I am and cannot change that. Life is not a popularity contest, and you have to do what is best for you, providing you with the best quality of life that you can. What I thought mattered really didn’t matter to anyone but me in real life, so I had to come to terms with the life that I want to lead that everyone wants to see, not what is portrayed out in cyberspace.

All that matters is that I am living my best life and that I am happy. All other things come secondary in what we call life. It is finding what works for you and what doesn’t. It doesn’t have to matter to anyone else but you because it is the life that you lead. Others can judge and make comments, but you are the one that has to live the life that you are given. What is best is that you protect yourself in your best interests and keep yourself as close as possible to reality so that you don’t fall in love with something that you are not. It is living the life that is best for me and whoever needs to hear this because in the end it is your life.