BLUE

 BY WALLACE CALEB BATES

Today, I wore blue, not because I had to, not because it was a theme, a dress code, or something to check off a list. I wore blue because some of my very favorite people experience the world in beautiful, intricate, and significant ways. 

Today, I wanted to honor that.

April is Autism Awareness Month. While awareness is just a starting point, it is an important one. It opens doors to understanding. It invites people to listen better, see more fully, and care more deeply.

Autism is not a problem to fix. It is a way of being in the world. It is a spectrum of strengths and challenges, sensitivities and surprises, deep focus and bright creativity. 

For the people I love, it is simply who they are, not something apart from them, just them. And I would not want them any other way.

So today, I wore blue for the conversations that still need to happen, for the acceptance that should go beyond a single month on the calendar, for the parents and caregivers who are doing the best they can, for the educators and advocates who keep pushing for better systems. 

Most of all, I wore blue for the people themselves: people who are navigating a world that does not always meet them halfway but who continue to shine.

If you are reading this and you are somewhere on the spectrum, I see you. I appreciate you. I am thankful that you are here. 

Let us keep learning. Let us keep listening. Let us keep loving better. 

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