What you can’t see here is that I’m feeding my son porridge.
That’s our ritual every evening.
20 minutes.
He runs all over the house while I follow him around with a spoonful of porridge. Sometimes he dodges me. Sometimes he takes a bite.
It’s almost like a little dance.
Our son has autism. He’s 5 and doesn’t speak.
No “mama.”
No “daddy.”
But he looks at us, takes our hand and leads us wherever he wants to go.
He’s happy all day long.
Pretty wonderful, right?
“Poor you,” people often say.
Not at all.
It’s wonderful.
It’s beautiful.
It’s different.
But it’s not about what’s considered normal.
Or what things could have been.
It’s about seeing the person standing in front of you.
And enjoying them.
Loving them.
With everything you have.
Do you see how beautiful it is when he gives me his hand?
Without even looking at my hand.
He knows exactly what he’s doing.
And he only gives me his hand when he decides to.
That’s connection.
That’s communication.
And that’s one of the most beautiful things there is.
And yes, that little dance around the house to get him to eat can be exhausting.
But raising children is exhausting.
His little sister is 2½, speaks three languages and pretty much runs the entire household.
That’s twice as exhausting. 😂
And they’re both beautiful.
Especially when they play together.
Or when I ask her to go get her brother for me.
Then they come walking back hand in hand.
It’s pure joy.
All day long.
And I think that’s a mindset worth carrying with you.
In business.
And in life.
Don’t worry about what you can’t change.
Enjoy everything you can do.
PS: I talked this through with my wife before posting it, and we both felt it was important to show that being different isn’t something to feel sorry about.
It can be incredibly beautiful. ❤️
