“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Even when I didn’t want to admit it, I recognized that I was different from everyone around me. It would be years before I came to realize my differences were for the most part an asset, not a liability. It made me the unique person I am.

But, even today, the medical establishment and most social circles are still trying to “fix” me to be one of their herd. I used to say I have Aspie traits, but since the medical community has decided that it now a part of the autism spectrum and must be fixed, they have pushed me away from that label. It just seems that anything that is on the margins is seen as being defective.

I have spent my life justifying my unique characteristics. I have decided it is now time for me to celebrate my differences and to encourage anyone who will listen to me to do the same. To me, A person in the mainstream spends their life looking at the backside of the person in front. I think the pastures are always greener on the margins of life.

Be Yourself