LEND ME YOU

Lend me your eyes so that

you may see. Lend me your

ears so that you may hear.

You soul you must keep.

That's not what I need

 and I don't want to make

you weep.

Lend me a joke so that we may

laugh. Lend me your arms so 

that you may help me climb.

Lend me your smile so I can give

it back to you. Your soul you must

keep. That's what I need and I don't

want to make you weep.

Lend me your hand so that

I may reach out to you. Lend

me your time so that I may show

you my world. Your soul you must

keep.  That's not what I need and I 

don't want to make you weep.

WHERE WORLDS COLLIDE

This is where children learn

to play and join the world. The

autistic boy is lost in a different

world. This is where kids turn on

their minds and make believe. They

build castles with information they

receive. The autistic boy is not welcome.

He gets left behind when they leave.

This is where kids learn to grab onto

a world that they will tame. There's no place

for the autistic boy in their game.

This is where kids get a turn at bat. The boys hit

home runs on a date. The autistic boy never even

makes it to the plate.

This is where everybody shoots to score and high fives

their buddies. The autistic boy is looking over

his shoulder for bullies.

One Square At A Time

Have you ever found yourself between a rock and a hard place?  That’s where I’ve been lately.  I’ve been having trouble finding work.  Life has basically been sucking.  For a long time I was operating in what my sister calls crisis mode.  I’ve been focusing so hard on finding work that I had tunnel vision.  I kept hitting a wall in my job hunt. So now I’ve decided that instead of just finding a job I should take a step back and think about what I really want to do. 

In the midst of all of this I began playing chess with some friends.  It became a way to take my mind off of my problems for one night a week and have fun. Last week I learned something new about chess.  I discovered that the reason I keep losing is because I keep trying to get all of pieces out to the middle of the board and capture as many of my opponent’s pieces as I can and try too hard to win.  Last week I played with Jeremy and he showed me how I could control the center of the board one square at a time.  Once I had control of a few squares I was able to mount a more successful attack and develop a stradegy.   Why  don’t I find other things to do for fun? I wondered. On the advice of my psychologist I decided to get a hobby and live my life.  Since I was having trouble finding work and now that I’ve decided to take a different approach; why not volunteer?  

I searched online for volunteer jobs.  I kept going back to volunteermatch.com because they had more oportunities that didn’t require experience, a college degree, traveling to another country, or paying some membership fee.  I now volunteer at Feline Rescue.  It’s a no kill shelter for cats.  I have fun with the cats as I clean out their cages, swap out their litter boxes, feed them, and of course play with them.  One day I was cleaning the kitten room.  The kittens stopped what they were doing and watched me with curiousity.  One of them jumped on my back every time I bent over to pick something up.  There is another cat who takes hold of my hand in his paws whenever I pet him and he lightly, and playfully bites my hand.  He also licks my fingers.

I think the more activities I get involved in the less anxious I will be.  It’s a way to stay sane and keep busy.  My sister offered to pay for me to take a class.  That’s why when a Community Education Catolog came in the mail; I cirlcled a bunch of classes that I was interested in.  I decided on an acting class.  I start tomorrow. 

I’m finding some hobbies, getting involved in activities, and staying as busy as I can.  Someone once told me that life is like  chess.  You have to keep moving and use your resources wisely.  I agree with him.  That’s why I am solving my problems one square at a time.