I was recently talking to someone about my son, Noah, who has autism. And at the end of our conversation, she said, “He is the best teacher you could ever have.”
I am still learning all the ways that this is true.
Noah is constantly helping me recognize how limited my perspective can be. For example, my son gave me a greater appreciation of words. Turns out they’re not just for conversation.
A little background. Noah’s autism diagnosis followed a scary period when he had lost the few words he was able to speak. It took about a year, but he regained the ability to communicate verbally. And I’ve been hyper-focused on helping him have conversations.
But conversation is difficult for my son. Instead, he loves words because they make music. And when I allowed myself to be open to Noah’s way of using words, I’ve been able to see just how musical words can be.
Noah is indeed my guide to finding the beauty that is right under my nose, if I am open to seeing it. He is certainly a teacher about finding joy. Check out our “number” from The Music Man on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnxcQse19sA