Dear Friends,
It has been a while since I have shared from my personal life. I needed some rest and also needed to focus my energy on finding joy in my life again. I had been losing it, steadily, over repeated spans of dysregulation and restlessness. I felt perpetually behind on my goals and commitments. Any slightly regulated time was spent scrambling to catch up. I was not able to enjoy my life as I needed to. I felt my sparkle fading. It was so sad. And I felt so flat.
So I asked Tara to help me. She had noticed that I wasn’t asking to do my usual fun outings, and that I was choosing work and rest but not fun. She gently suggested that I make enjoyment more of a priority. So as I realized she was right, I asked her to be sure that I was scheduling fun things into my plans.
And I think it has helped so much! I feel so much happier these days. I accept that my goals will take longer than planned. I am less distraught by missed deadlines. I am treating joy as an important pursuit. After all, my life is hard as it is. Why not appreciate the joys that I can access now with communication? What is worth spending my energy on if I am not cultivating joy in my heart? I am more vibrant and active when I am happy. I can share more when I am joyous.
We self-advocates face a lot of pressure to always be in advocacy mode, and much of that pressure comes from ourselves. And many of us are also actively working on skills for managing our bodies better and advancing our fluent communication skills and strengthening our regulation. Not to mention goals for our education and careers, or concerns about money, or all the logistics of being disabled. It is a lot of heavy stuff. But we deserve joy, too!
So to my peers, I hope you can find more joy as you do all that you do. And to all, let’s help each other build more joy in the world!
Your Friend,
Danny
Danny With Words 