Photo by Bill Stokes
By Bill Stokes
Kickass, the doorstop dog, was a listener as the keeper and Phyllis entertained Phyllis’s son Kevin and grandson Geordan in one of those wonderful Saturday afternoon family conversations that knows no bounds and runs the gamut from the profound to the absurd with emphasis on the latter and the laughter it produces.
A most interesting portion of the rambling conversation was the discussion on autism. Geordan is somewhat higher on the autism scale than the rest of us, and his take on how that circumstance affects his life was revealing and thought provoking.
The challenges Geordan faces make him a unique individual, with a one-of-a-kind perspective that is of value to the rest of the world. His degree of autism, in that context, can rightfully be viewed as an asset and not a liability, something he can use to establish his unique identity in a world that values individuality and is anxious to hear about it from the likes of Geordan.
The day included some of Phyllis’s “refrigerator” soup. It was a great “family” Saturday.
Photo by Bill Stokes