End of the year

It’s the end of the year. 2019 was a year for me in which a lot has happened. It is the year in which I started this blog and in which I developed myself personally. Christmas is just around the corner and in all sorts of places on the internet people round off their year and look back.

Blogging about autism

This year I started with this blog. My goal was not fixed when I started this blog; I wanted to write about autism and how I experience the world around me. Since I started with this blog, I have found out more and more that I want to work towards the acceptance of autism and neurodiversity. Writing my blog gives me a lot; I’m learning more and more about myself and my autistic side, I’ve met people on Twitter and noticed that there are people who appreciate my blogs. It is certainly something I will continue to do in the new year.

Although I’ve often started things in the past and had trouble finishing them (so many projects I started with an idea, but ended up stranded), my blog is different. This is something I get a lot out of for myself and for others. This blog gives me a place on the internet to write down my thoughts and hopefully help people around me to understand the world of an autistic person. That’s why I feel passionate about keeping this up and writing.

Planning for the future

Now that the year is coming to an end, it is also time to look ahead. And I do have some plans to continue my commitment to the neurodiverse community. Writing about neurodiversity and autism is one thing, but setting up a podcast is also on that list. I also want to see how I can contribute to the community by speaking at meetings about autism. I think it would be a good step to be able to reach even more people and to be able to give explanations. Because to make the world a better place for autistic people like myself, people need an explanation. It is necessary to tell people what it is like to live a neurotypical world for someone who is not neurotypical.

Some plans (like setting up a podcast) need some time, good planning (not my strength) and content. Other plans will hopefully, with some support, take a little less time. For example, for speaking at meetings, you’ll need to find an opening where you can do something like that. But by networking and talking to people, I can find these kinds of possibilities. So this is also a goal for next year; expanding my network and finding opportunities to expand my platform.

Fighting for the future

Next year will also be the year my son goes to another school. That will also have its feet in the earth. Sometimes we are already running into things that cause frustration. I am not alone in this; together with my ex-wife we will follow this path with the support of many other parents. The support between parents of autistic people is certainly great, we all navigate a minefield of tests, specialists, schools and behavioral therapists with varying degrees of success. It is nice to know that nowadays autism is no longer seen as a reason to put children in an asylum, but there is still a great deal of work to be done in order to eradicate certain myths.

With the permission of my ex, I will occasionally write a blog about this struggle. My ex and I are a team; the contact between us is excellent. So it’s not surprising (for us) that we complement and support each other in this day and age. And I would like to express my support for all parents of small autistic people; together we are stronger.

Podcast?

In my blog about “hunger for information” I already wrote about my idea to set up a podcast. This idea certainly hasn’t gone off my list. However, this is a bit of a challenge. It’s a very personal project that needs time to be found. It’s also something that needs to be set up well, I don’t want it to be one of the podcasts where it ends after three episodes, because I “didn’t want to” it anymore or where it’s just rattle. It has to add something to the community and help people listen to it.

I hope that I can start this project next year and that it will be something that will help you. Of course it is also very exciting for me to do this. Just like speaking for groups of people. But I think it is added value for all of us.

Finishing ideas

Every day a new plan comes to mind, but for the time being I will stick to these plans. My good intention is to finish ideas. Not only do they come up with ideas (which is particularly good for me), but they are also actually implemented. I sometimes describe myself as a chaotic person. My nickname has been Chaos for years and that certainly has a reason. So my intention for 2020 is to actually finish my ideas.

And when I look back at my 2019, that’s also something I’ve done reasonably well. And the plans for next year are there. In any case, I’m going to start with a great deal of enthusiasm!