Today is the World Autism Awareness Day, and April is Autism Awareness month. 1 in 68 are on the autism spectrum.
If I could ask, as the father of a wonderful little guy who is on the autism spectrum, for one favor, I think it would be this.
Today or sometime this month, if, no save that, when you see someone who doesn’t behave the way you think people should behave, when you see someone who is too old to be holding Woody from Toy Story but is doing so anyway, when you see someone bouncing on their toes or putting their fingers in their ears, when you speak to someone who doesn’t speak back, or when you see someone who is just different, my favor would be to ask that you find it within your heart to accept that it is because of our differences that our world is the amazing place that it is.
Our world is a better place because there are those who never forget the importance of play no matter how old they are.
Our world is a better place because there are ballerinas who are gifted with the grace and skill to move through this world on their toes.
Our world is a better place because there are those who can hear the quietest whisper in the hurricane of noise the rest of us ignore everyday.
Our world is a better place because there are those who don’t feel it necessary to scream their opinions every time there is a quiet moment.
Our world is a better place because we are different from one another.
And the blue sky shines down upon us, hugging us, all.