Autistic people often find immense joy in simple things that neurotypicals ignore or take for granted.

Because we’re more connected to our senses, we notice small things and find happiness in them.

I think everyone could benefit from that approach to life.

For example, today I was walking downtown with Abby and we saw a “Big Belly Solar System” solar-powered compacting trash can.

I said “Big belly solar system!!” and burst out laughing.

I was visualizing the actual solar system as something with a big belly.

I kept repeating “Big belly solar system!!” and bursting into laughter for hours afterward.

I also find a lot of joy in stimming. My milkweed seed pods had ripened, so last night Abby and I opened them and played with all of the fluff.

It was a blissful experience.

Abby uses the word “vibing” to describe me a lot, and I think it’s very accurate.

At camp, people have jokingly asked me if I’m high (on marijuana) because of how sanguine and giggly I am.

I’m just a very joyful person, because I appreciate the humor and fun in small things.

After reading the book, “The Tao of Pooh” by Benjamin Hoff, I see a lot of parallels between autistic people’s approach to life, and the Taoist approach to life.

I see myself and many other autistic people as natural Taoists: we’re just vibing and appreciating existence.

Obviously Taoist philosophy is a lot more complicated than that, but my stance remains the same.

I’ve read the Tao Te Ching, and I really resonated with it. “The Tao of Pooh” and the Tao Te Ching have been very important parts of my unmasking & healing process.

It’s hard for me to explain what I mean by all of that without infodumping about Taoism, which isn’t really the point of this thread anyway.

My point is that autistic people are connected to the world in a unique way, and neurotypicals could learn a lot about life from us.