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This Is What I've Learned From Working With Kids With Autism

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I’ve recently come to realize that I don’t have time in this precious life for negativity.

I don’t have time for negative thoughts and negative people.

I don’t have time to tear myself apart in the mirror every morning or obsess over things I don’t have time to fix.

I don’t have the air to spare from my lungs to waste discussing matters that won’t change the world.

I don’t have the energy to spend on you if you’re not going to put fourth 100 percent equal effort on me.

Because let me tell you…

I have this little girl who looks at me like I made the moon.

woman and little girl with autism smiling

And I have these twins who tell me they miss me for every single day I’ve been gone.

And I have these kids who I haven’t even met yet, but they’re counting on me to change their world.

And I have this little boy who I miss so much, who needed me to be his voice.

And there are thousands of other kiddos who need me to help them find theirs.

And let me tell you it’s not easy. It never has been.

And I spent a long time being negative about everything around me and being filled with anger and disappointment over things I can’t change or control.

And being me has been damn hard for as long as I can remember.

But I have worked so hard to get to where I am and to be this person who I’ve allowed myself to be.

And I decided a long time ago to not let the opinions of others change the way I choose to live my life.

And I refuse to let you take that away from me or make me feel like what I’m doing isn’t amazing, because I know it is.

I know I am doing something great.

I know that I have the ability to change the world.

It’s a good life.

Originally published: October 14, 2014
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