When people think about Autism, they might fall into the belief that Autism will stop a person from having a good life. From my own perspective being Autistic, this is far from the truth. Of course having Autism can come with special challenges and that can sometimes be tough, but on the other hand Autism also comes with gifts. I cannot speak for all the people out there having Autism, but what I can give is my very own view of life and who knows, maybe some of you will be inspired and start to look at your own life in a different light. For me life with Autism is beautiful and rich. Life will never be boring because I always have my special interests and I am sure that this passion for different things around me will follow me and be at my side for the rest of my life.
So when I am old and grey, I can still look at videos and read about my interests, as long as I have my eyesight intact and a clear mind I will never feel alone. Even if I end up totally alone, maybe my wife is dead and my daughter lives far away and has other things to do then to travel to see her father and the same goes for my friends, at that time they will be old themself. I am sure that I will still be okay by myself, I am an introverted person and I feel good spending time with myself and I think that I have Autism to thank for that personality trait.
When I look around myself I see that a lot of people can not spend time by themselves without being bored and feeling lonely, so if they find themselves in that situation when they get old or just in general during their younger years it will be very difficult for them. Being comfortable on your own also helps when it comes to making rational decisions when it comes to finding a partner, because there is not that feeling of desperation of finding someone when you don’t fear being alone and can not stand living without a partner. So in this aspect Autism helped me live a better life and led me to make better decisions, at least for me, i am glad that I waited for the right woman for me and I did nor run into relationships that would not have been good for me. Autism made me special and my life too.
I have had a fantastic life, I don’t mean that I am the way I am just because I have Autism, but it sure has had a big impact on me. I would never have developed some of my interests up to that level that I have done without Autism, I put so much time, effort and heart into developing my skills and that special focus took me far. I know that my talent profile is a bit uneven, but I couldn’t care less because I would rather be really good at a few things and have my weaknesses, than just being mediocre at all. I am proud of myself and I am not ashamed to say that I have Autism, it might not be the first thing that i open a conversation with. I want people to get to know me first and get a taste of who I am without preconceived notions, but I have absolutely no problem talking about Autism and me being Autistic.
Instead of trying to run away from my Autism, I embrace it with open arms. I became a high level martial artist, an elite level natural powerlifter and a very good marks man thanks to my special interest and my ability to lock in and go all in for my interests. On top of that I have had other interests that helped me in other aspects of life, giving me more passions to follow. Motorcycles, travelling, guns, nutrition and even if it might sound strange, dating. Meeting girls did not come natural for me from the beginning, my Autism made interaction with women a bite more complicated, so in that sense Autism put some obstacles in front of me and made things a little harder, but in the other end it also saved me, because my focus and will to learn stopped me from giving up and in the end me and girls worked out just fine. I am thankful for the way I am and for the life that I have, I would not change anything even if I could. Autism sure does not make everything easy, but it is also fantastic, thank you for giving me a wonderful existence.
Daniel Antonsson is a 43 year old Autistic man living in Sweden with his Venezuelan girlfriend and four year old daughter. He has always enjoyed writing about different subjects and being able to publish for the Art of Autism make him feel truly blessed.
