Passion for Mission

I have become impassioned with the needs of the victims of human trafficking in South East Asia. It all began with information about young girls rescued from brothels in Cambodia, and has continued becoming gradually more all consuming. I am planning to travel to Cambodia and Thailand in October to see first hand the work of Destiny Rescue, which is exciting and frightening at the same time.

I also heard on Tuesday of the work of Help International and their projects with the indigenous minority people in Thailand. I could listen all day to stories of lives saved and freedom regained, but experience a sense of deep sadness at the residual damaged done to young lives by selfish exploitation.

I would love to have the opportunity to contribute in a real and practical way, using my skills to make a difference. 'One step at a time' I must keep reminding myself as my mind goes much faster and further than my feet have travelled.

I often feel overwhelmed at the magnitude of the problem of human trafficking and the many facets of human corruption that feed this despicable activity. With so many contributing evils, the job of eliminating trafficking seems impossible. I take inspiration from the life of William Wilberforce and how long he struggled to have slavery outlawed in a society which gained economic benefit from slavery. I have been influenced in a similar way to the quote from Wilberforce in the movie 'Amazing Grace':

'You may choose to look the other way but you can never again say you did not know'

Weird Aspie Dream

As part of how annoying it is to be Aspie even my subconscious reacts in Aspergers fashion. I have had 2 days at an in-service conference for teachers, in a really crowded auditorium. I struggled with the overcrowded space, the strong lighting, the noise, (especially other members of the audience whispering while the speaker was speaking). I waited in long crowds for food, which while it was tasty, was not part of the diet. There was only cow's milk for coffee and no salad veges, (which are what I live on at the moment)

The stimulation must have all been just too much for my system. I didn't realize until I woke this morning just how stressed I must have become during the day. I dreamt (as I have a couple of times before in such situations) that people I didn't know came and moved into my home. I wouldn't be surprised if I was calling out in my sleep as I remember yelling out over and over, 'Get out of my house. You have no right to be here. Get out!' The dream went from bad to worse because as I moved whole families out of one room of the house they simply re situated themselves in a different part of the house. They invited friends in and had parties, left mess and wouldn't leave, in fact they became more and more sneaky in where they were hiding and places they were using up.

I must have become quite out of control as I remember I began to become physical, pushing people out the door, with their belongings, shutting doors and locking them, only to find that people had entered a different way.

I woke tired and didn't want to go back to the conference again today to be greeted with the same thing again. I planned to sit at the back out of the assigned seating, attend sessions in smaller groups if possible, and even brought my own lunch and soy milk for coffee. I wasn't going to struggle again a second day. However, other people must have thought the crowd was too stressful as today it had visibly thinned and I was able to enjoy my day a lot more.

Learning to live - food intolerances

It is such a struggle to be Aspie in a neuro typical world! And the worst of it is that it doesn't matter how old we are and how much life experience we have, being an Aspie continues to be challenging. As I strive to make sense of the world, I believe that the benefit of this process is to both the Aspie and the NT. As I work on making myself more 'socially acceptable' I believe that part of my contribution to the understanding of those on the Autistic Spectrum is to help the NT to understand and become more tolerant of Aspies.

So perhaps this blog is part of that process. My most recent step forward in finding my way in this confusing world has been through understanding my own food intolerances. It has been an amazing process. Removing gluten has made incredible changes in my life. Sure, my digestion has improved, my unsettled tummy has settled, my weight has stabilised, my general health and feeling of wellness have improved.

But the most amazing change has occurred in my mental health. The panic attacks have gone. The need for medication has lessened. I am now able to relax and handle many of the daily challenges that would previously have sent me into an anxious state. I have spent about 2 months experiencing life in a relaxed state. It has been challenging to maintain a diet without gluten, and more recently dairy products, but what price is that to pay for mental health that has eluded me for my lifetime.

Check out the sushi. I had never eaten sushi before removing gluten from my diet. It is difficult to find carbs that are tasty and interesting to eat when wheat, rye, barley and oats are all removed from the menu. But being challenged to change my diet has also forced me to learn to eat new things. It has been great.