I’m glad Evie is Autistic.  Yep, I said those words.  And I mean them.

When I think about Evie without Autism, I can’t picture Evie.  There is no Evie as I know her.  And as I love her.

While each Autistic person is an individual, I believe that there are exquisite characteristics that she has in common with many other Autistic people.

I love this post, written by Ibby Grace, an Autistic adult, mother, and all around fabulous person. I think my Evie may share Ibby’s love of dapples.  Evie loves staring out the window in autumn as light filters through the trees.  She smiles and she laughs with abandon.  She is joyful and free.  And I love that about her.  She is wonderfully Autistic.

Last summer we spent some time at Cape Cod on the beach.  Evie and I sat at the water’s edge and put our feet in the mud.  Evie lit up when the waves pulled the sand out from under her feet.  We sat like this for a long time.  Just enjoying that sensation.  Enjoying probably isn’t the right word.  More like delighting in that feeling.  When Evie is delighting in something, there is no sense of rush.  She just let’s herself get carried away in the moment.  It is beautiful.  And I think it is very much, Autistic.

Evie is emotionally honest.  I never have to guess with her.  When she is angry, she is angry.  When she is sad, she is sad.  And when she is happy, she is oh so happy.  I admire people that are emotionally honest–their smiles and tears are genuine.    And I find that trait to be very beautifully Autistic.

Some would say Evie perseverates on certain things–foods, people, objects.  I say she is passionately fascinated by certain things.  Like her Uncle Tim’s shiny bald head.  Like bubble wrap.  Like popsicles.  Like elbows.  I find both her ability to relish every ounce of enjoyment and her incredible concentration to be laudable.   And fabulously Autistic.

Evie’s walk is magnificent. She leads with her little belly and her feet kick up jovially.  I could watch her walk for hours. And while she doesn’t walk like an Autistic person (because I don’t think that there is a common Autistic walk), she doesn’t feel bound by social conventions.  She walks with individuality.  Which I think is spectacularly Autistic.

Autism is not the road to hell that the fear culture would have you believe it is.  It is an off the beaten path, road less traveled, gem.  Exploring its many treasures with Evie is a gift.  And I feel myself coming more alive and becoming more awake to its possibilities every day.