The Road Ahead

H loves directions as much as he loves constantly being on the move. Even medical appointments begin with a discussion on how we will get there.

 

H: "How are we getting there?”

“694 to 35E south.”

“Then 107.”

“H there is no 107^th by the clinic.”

“Yes, there is! We take 107^th.”

“I can’t remember the street name where we turn but I know it isn’t 107. There is no 107 in that area."

 

H persisted, and eventually we moved on to another subject. The following week we are driving to the appointment. As we are driving down 35E I spot our turn.

 

“H, here is our exit. It’s University Ave.”

“Yeah, 107th.”

“It’s University.”

“It’s 107th.”

 

I look again and realize he’s right. It’s the exit number. Who pays attention to exit numbers especially when driving in familiar areas? H does.

 

I know H doesn’t think the same way I do. He is a puzzle. An interesting, often fascinating and sometimes frustrating puzzle but definitely a puzzle to me. As mentioned in an earlier post, he often makes comments or asks questions that make me reanalyze each word for literal meaning. And when he is insistent, he is usually right. I also learned that even when it doesn’t make sense to me, it makes sense to him. I will never forget one of his staff telling me about a time he was swearing adding “it was for no reason at all.” I told her “there is always a reason. You and I might not know what it is but trust me, there is a reason.”

 

While reading Temple Grandin’s book titled “Visual Thinking” I realized it was like reading an instruction book for H. He has many traits of a visual thinker, and more specifically an object visualizer. He always knows his directions. He knows everyone’s schedule. He immediately notices visual differences like a slight change in a room, or a slight imperfection and when he sees something he remembers it for a long time. He prefers computational over abstract math. He absolutely loves music but finding patterns can be more difficult. He was a late talker although he was also an early reader so not a perfect fit. For one who leans more toward verbal thinking (writing, patterns, puzzles, visual narratives, and abstract math), part of the puzzle of H now has some clarity.

 

Namaste – the God in me sees the God in you. The final puzzle piece is inclusion. It’s accepting that some think differently than we do and implementing patience, curiosity and problem-solving skills. It is finding value in diversity of thinking without feeling like those who are visual thinkers are less than. It is realizing that acknowledging those who think differently doesn’t mean your thinking ability isn’t any less brilliant, it doesn’t reflect in any way on you at all. Grandin illustrates and emphasizes the need for different ways of thinking. The inclusion piece includes acknowledging that the world benefits from a variety of thinking approaches.

 

May your journey be filled with joy, love, curiosity and adventure. May your year be interesting, diverse, and inclusive. And, may you always find your exit numbers even when they show up in unexpected ways.

 

Happy New Year.