Now being in a sound mind, I am now beginning to adapt to what my future is likely to be. I am not giving up on certain things but there is just the understanding of the reality that I will not be able to do some things in the future the way that I used to do. It can be hard to accept, but thankfully there are many tools and resources at my disposal that can help offset the challenges with some sense of what reality can look like.

While I do have some goals in mind for furthering my independence, there is also a reality that some things are not going to happen in my life as a result of my parents aging and other factors. One big factor in moving past reality is the fact that I am autistic and have challenges, but I am not going to let that hold me down or define me totally. However, there are just some things that are not possible due to my disabilities and therefore it is important to use whatever tools and resources that are necessary to continue to have the same quality of life that I have come to expect throughout my life.

Granted, I still have family other than my parents, but the support is more distant and less frequent. While I can be and am working towards enhancing my independence further, it is just working on finding what works for me to find the things that once brought me joy and how to implement it in life in the present moment and going forward.

There are some goals that I have other than working on being independent, but that doesn’t bring the same joy that you find in things that are entertaining or interesting. Granted, adding things like Cable TV has been helpful, but there are things that I have had interest in the past that I would like to bring to life that cannot be done in the future. I have accepted that, but it is finding ways for not only that, but other things that I need to do to be independent in a way that is necessary until I reach the goals and dreams I desire.

Doing this can bring up my mental health and since I have been able to get my mental health under control in recent months, it is becoming more apparent that I need to work to find even more ways to keep myself entertained in ways that do not hinder my ability and work to meet my needs without posing a challenge. There will be times when things become better, but I have to work at being better and making a change in how I see things.

When doing things, it is important to remember that it is not a race and that things take time. I know that I can’t get to where I need to be by rushing things, so I am well-equipped to be more independent when it becomes a necessity, rather than rushed because of that necessity. Things take time and that is why I need to make things more of a goal for me and not continue to dwell so much in the negative or the what I cannot do rather what can I do to get through the time at hand by keeping myself entertained and life a joy. Through time, this will happen, but it is taking that initiative and doing what is needed to get there.