Why I'm OK Being a 'Social Outcast' as a Person on the Autism Spectrum

I don’t need to be told I’m socially inept. I know that. I have autism. I don’t mind not having many friends. I’ve gotten to this point with a few friends or none, and I’ve realized I don’t need to have lots of friends. I need one or two who truly care about me.

I know I’m difficult to get along with. A long time ago I tried to be “normal,” but it was boring, so I went back to being me! But seriously, trying to fit in was making me miserable. I was a square peg being rammed into a round hole, and the problem wasn’t that I wouldn’t fit, it was that I was being damaged in the process. I stopped trying to fit in because it wasn’t good for me. All I care about in life now is being happy; that’s what I strive towards because in the end isn’t that what we all want? Happiness?

A little while ago, I decided I will be me. I will be my unique, quirky, funny self, no questions. Take it or leave it, I won’t change for anyone. If people don’t like me then I don’t need them in my life; if they do, I will cherish them as a friend.

I am me. I am socially inept. I am funny. I am annoying. I am unique. That is never going to change. I realized that when I started to be happy again.

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