I believe in myself… finally. But it hasn’t always been this way.
Life was this strange existence that I could never quite figure a way to get through. Well, that was to the outside world. Life in my own world made perfect sense, especially as a young girl, but that changed as the years went by and self-doubt began to creep in.
I have blundered my way through most of my life until I learnt about Aspergers Syndrome in 2008 leading to a diagnosis in 2009. That day, March 3rd was the best day of my life. Seriously. It was a licence to finally accept me for who I am and to embark on a journey to find my true self.
It was a licence to finally accept me for who I am and to embark on a journey to find my true self.
Putting back together the missing parts of myself that had been lost or buried under the layers of chameleon masks took an enormous amount of effort. The years of pretending what the world expected me to be had taken its toll. I had been broken from painful moments in time, lost in the ocean of despair of never believing that anyone would truly understand me and the loneliness that had crept in from the lost friendships where I could never understand the dynamics. The constant pretending was actually causing me more harm than good in the end. Heading towards 40 I had resigned myself to being an outsider, a loner and lost.
But those words emblazoned on the computer screen of that night when I first saw the words Aspergers Syndrome have never left my memory. As I sit here the movie is replaying again like the vivid first time I encountered them. They were tangible, I felt I could just reach out and touch the very essence of who I was. I had an answer and a meaning to my existence. I wasn’t broken, just neurologically different.
Finally I could stop hurting myself, blaming myself for not fitting in. I didn’t need to fit in; I just needed to find my tribe. And that I did.
My autistic tribe was always there, waiting to embrace me for who I was, I just had to find them, and that day was the day I learnt about myself and became curious.
My autistic tribe was always there, waiting to embrace me for who I was, I just had to find them, and that day was the day I learnt about myself and became curious.
Researching is certainly high on the list for most of us and I do this with a ferocious passion.
I can never get enough information to fill this skull of mine and now aspergers and autism were my priority. And in no time I had thrown myself into the information filled pages upon my computer screen and soaked them up like a sponge.
Little by little I made connections with others in my tribe. I had so many questions and we all shared a common theme. We connected in a way I had never known with the non-autistic community. There was no need for padded out conversations. We all wanted information, understanding, support, validity of who we are but most of all we accepted each other without judgement. I was finally home.
This is not just about celebrating me but celebrating all the people in my tribe and for finding you. It has been eight years now, but it has been some of the most fulfilling and self-accepting years of my life. No longer do I feel isolated and alone, no longer do I feel an outsider but accepted and respected for the person I am.
No longer do I feel isolated and alone, no longer do I feel an outsider but accepted and respected for the person I am.
To all my fellow autistics, my tribe… thank you for waiting for me to find you. And to the future I now wait with my tribe, ready to welcome you and embrace you into a place where you can truly and unashamedly be you.
Photo courtesy of Michael Rayfield
About Barb Cook
Barb is Founder and Editor in Chief of Spectrum Women Magazine, is a highly committed Autism/Asperger advocate, keen motorcyclist and web/graphics guru.
Barb has made numerous appearances on Australian television and radio, in national newspapers and magazines, a documentary The Chameleons: Women with Autism, Co-Founder/Director of the Australian Autism Aspergers Network Inc., Founder/Director of Bikers for Autism Australia, Community Council Member of AASETand Australian Ambassador of the International Aspergirl Society. Read more about Barb Cook here.
Barb is speaking at the 2017 Autism West Symposium, to be held in Fremantle, Western Australia, on the 3rd and 4th of November 2017. Book your tickets now!
*This post was originally published here.
