Not Funny..... Well Maybe a Little

I want to clarify my mission.  Finding a moment of bliss, a breath of happiness, something that tickles me daily helps  me survive in the ASD world.  It may not be for everyone. After all... Autism isn't funny! Endless doctor and therapist visits, not funny; meltdowns, not funny; fecal smearing, so not funny; knowing that our children with ASD may have difficulties for their entire life, not funny; financial hardship, not funny; broken marriages, not funny.  When looking strictly at Autism I fail to see any thing worth smiling about let alone laugh about.  So to be clear, Autism, not funny.......... yeahbut (one of my son's favorite words)... kids are!

Everything is new to to a kid and with every new experience there is the potential of over whelming joy.  The first giggles usually happen around the time a baby is 4 months old.  It is one of the milestones parents wait for because we know that laughter is very powerful.  It's powerful alright!  When my daughter was born laughter was one of the milestones I looked forward to the most because I knew from years of personal experience how wonderful it is.  I waited with great anticipation for her first giggle.........well it happened, right on schedule.  First she smiled and then she giggled... how wonderful... NOT... she screamed for the next hour!  I guess for some, they need to be dragged kicking and screaming into the world of humor.

For us who live daily in the world of Autism, everything may not be new everyday.  Our kids are sticklers for routines.  Break the routine and suffer the consequences.  We do the same thing day in and day out.  Some of us serve the same foods day in and day out (for some of us, try to sneak in a different food and suffer the consequences).  We drive the same route day in and day out (for some of us... change the route and suffer the consequences).  For some of us, we wash clothes every night so our kids can wear the same shirt everyday, or we suffer the consequences.........  As parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, caregivers, siblings of children on the spectrum.........We suffer!  For me, this is why I love to laugh.  I make a decision everyday to find my bliss. Today, I chose to find my bliss looking back at one of my favorite pictures of my son as a tiny baby peacefully sleeping in the most perfect ballet position.  As I look at it I can feel the giggles coming... what will be your bliss today?