A "New Fan"

So, if five years ago, someone would have asked me if I'd be interested in blogging, I would have responded with a, "No thank you, I don't think I'm the kind of girl you'd want holding a chain saw, plus, I've never really liked the flannel Lumber Jack (or Jill) look.". After I received a, "What the heck is she talking about look?" by this hypothetical person, and said person then clarified that the word was "blogging", not logging, I probably still would have had a blank, clueless look in my eyes because five years ago, the words "blog", "blogging" and "blogger" never entered my simple mind. Once my simple mind grasped the meaning of blogging, I probably would have still declined the opportunity to blog because after all, what could I possibly have to write about, I mean blog about?

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Then into my life, without an invitation walked, The A Word with Denial on one side and Clueless on the other. I had to spend a little time with Acceptance after those three arrived on the scene, but over time, a fire began burning inside of me that no stack of burning logs could ever match (no pun intended). Those three uninvited guests that came and swooped into my life, helped me find my purpose, my passion, my voice and, eventually, my blog. Although, Autism, Denial and Clueless helped me find the words, my inspiration came from a beautiful, anxious, misunderstood boy that was, and is my heart. My passion, my fire, was ignited by Ryan.

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Bloggers tend to blog about something they feel passionate blogging about (Wow! That sentence will not win me a Pulitzer.). Educating others about ASD has become my passion and blogging has given me the platform to share it. I am grateful for every word, typo, grammatical error and self-deprecating comment I have blogged, because it has turned my passion into my purpose. This blogging, (not logging...although log rolling might be kind of fun to try...as long as I don't have to wear flannel) has become more than I ever imagined.

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Occasionally, we bloggers (funny, how five years ago I thought a blogger was a logger and now I define myself as one...a blogger that is, not a logger. No flannel for me.) invite a guest blogger to post on our site. Someone whose words evoke a similar passion to the blog owner. Someone whose words may very well make the blog owner's words look as mundane as a Britannica Encyclopedia. Someone who most certainly is going to steal the blog owner's spotlight. Why in the world would I ask a guest blogger to share HIS words on MY blog that will make my voice sound like Charlie Brown's teacher, "wah, waah, wah, wah"? The reason is simple, no matter how much I read about autism, how much I try and educate myself and others about autism, I will never comprehend what it is like to live with autism, but, my guest, Scott can.

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Meet Scott Lentine. Scott is a 26 year old young man with high-functioning autism (PDD-NOS/Asperger's Syndrome) from Billerica, MA, just outside of Boston. Scott graduated from Merrimack College magna cum laude with a Bachelor's Degree in Religious Studies and a minor in Biology. Scott is currently an office intern at the Arc of Massachusetts in Waltham, where he strives to persuade lawmakers to pass key disability resource legislation to improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities. Scott loves dogs, traveling, the beach, meeting new people and going to the movies. When Scott isn't traveling or haggling with lawmakers, he is writing....poems and songs. Scott has found a beautiful way to put his experiences, his voice, his words into songs and poems and today, with Scott's permission, I will share Scott's words with you.

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Just a Normal Day

Never knowing what to say
Never knowing what to do
Always looking for clues
Just a normal day

Feeling unsure
Totally perplexed with everyday life
Always on edge never certain
I wish I could lift this curtain
Needing to constantly satisfy my
need for information
Always online searching for new revelations
Going from site to site
Obtaining new insights every night

Trying to connect with people my
age
Attempting to reveal my unique
vision
But ending up alone and
unengaged
Feeling like my needs a total
revision

Just a normal day



Can't You See

Can't you see
I just want to have a friend
Can't you see
I need the same connections in
the end

Can't you see
I want a good job
Can't you see
I need to have stability and
independence and be part of the general mob

Can't you see
I want to be independent on my
own
Can't you see
I want to be able to have my own
home

Can't you see
I want the same things as
everyone else
Can't you see
I want t be appreciated for myself


The Ode to the Autistic Man

Try to understand the challenges
that I face
I would like to be accepted as a
human in all places
Where I will end up in life I don't
know
But I hope to be successful
wherever I go
I would like to expand my social
skills in life
Making new friends would be very
nice

Stand proud for the autistic man
For he will find a new fan
I hope to overcome the odds I
face today
Increased acceptance will lead
me to a brighter day

By the age of 20, I will have made
tremendous strides
I know in the future, life will
continue to be an interesting ride
I have made new friends by the
year
I will be given tremendous respect
by my family and peers
I hope to get noted for bringing the
issue of autism to the common
man
So that autistic people can be
accepted in this great land

Stand proud for the autistic man
For he will find a new fan
I hope to overcome the odds I
face today
Increased acceptance will lead
me to a brighter day



AWEnestly, I could have never put those words together so beautifully. Thank you Scott, and I assure you, with these words, you most certainly have found a "new fan". Please add me to your list of fans along with the likes of John Elder Robison, Melissa Manchester, Tom Rush, Jonathan Katz and John Sebastian. If you would like to follow Scott's blog and read more of his heartfelt words, check out his blog at http://scottlentine.wordpress.com/


I have to say, I'm really glad I chose blogging over logging, flannel shirts aside. Thanks to this blogosphere I have entered, I have met truly wonderful people like Scott who share my passion. T.D. Jakes said, "If you can't figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose." Scott and I have very different voices, very different perspectives, but in this blogosphere and beyond, our passion and our purpose have collided which is an incredibly cool thing. Even cooler than log rolling and climbing big trees with spiky shoes. Thanks again Scott...keep writing, keep educating, keep advocating, but most importantly, keep being you!