I think I have been blessed to have such wonderful and understanding parents.

I know they're blessed to have me in their lives.

However, there are some things they don't know about me. I need to come clean.

1. I have extreme sensory issues, which if left untreated, will prohibit me from driving. Ever. Even if I wanted to, Arizona state law forbids this. It's a mere safety issue, which is understandable. I need sunglasses wherever there is a fluorescent light (and I'm surrounded by them). The same applies to sunlight, strobe lights and really, just about any light source. I need earplugs when I'm walking to Arco or to Target. It's THAT bad.

Whenever I return home from somewhere, I have frequent meltdowns due to sensory overload. Thankfully I'm alone when they occur, as they get rather ugly at times. Do you really think I should be driving? I don't.

2. I'm a lover of things cute and cuddly. Especially stuffed animals and other plush dolls. Matter of fact, during my most recent trip to Target, I bought myself a new teddy bear. If this somehow makes me "girly" or whatever, please tell me. I could honestly care less about how people perceive me. I want to be me and nobody should make me into something I'm not.

3. High-functioning autism/Asperger's syndrome is NOT a bad thing. The reason technology and science have progressed this much is because many of the world's greatest minds were autistic. Newton, Galileo, Einstein, Bill Gates. Just to name a few. Some autistics have even made great progress in music. There is autistic savant Matt Savage, as well as Gary Numan and Craig Nicholls (of The Vines). Heck, John Lennon is speculated to have had AS. Judging by his profoud way with written language, plus his mannerisms during interviews, I tend to agree with this.

So really, just because I might have AS, and am not currently holding a paying job, doesn't mean I'll end up a nobody. I'll work when I'm ready to. Right now, I'm not ready. There's a chance I may never be ready. So please, don't try to rush me.

There was a #4, but I can't remember it right now. Perhaps I will at a later date.