Living with autism

Living with autism is both a struggle and a war because you sometimes just don’t understand what people are feeling and sometimes it makes it hard to

have friends.

I have autism and sometimes I

wish I didn’t because it can make

life all that much harder.

But then the “war” part; yea I get what you’re thinking. That sounds like a war on its own. But

the fact is, for me, it's not. The

war is the fight between the sides: the side that wishes things were different and the side that is

glad I am who I am because of my gifts and my wonderful opportunities and life lessons. I get the chance to write this for all of you because I have autism... how great is that! I understand that because I have

autism there are many things I might just never be able to do and for me that’s ok! But one

especially important thing I always want to remember is that I will always try. Some things are extremely hard for me, but I’ve learned that the

things that make it not so hard is how I handle it. I may want to yell and scream because it is easier

to do those things. But easy isn’t always the best choice.

This thing they call life is amazing and I want to be amazing in it!

So, if you ever find someone with autism just know they are ok to be friends with and you would be lucky to have them because people with autism are amazing.

I may have autism but because of that, I learned coping skills. I learned how to handle stress,

depression, and more. It’s because of my autism learned just how amazing it is to win when you try and really care hard enough.

It may be difficult sometimes, as I’ve said, but it’s not impossible. And you never know what those things you just can’t do are, or if they are something you are great at unless you try. I can’t express it enough, trying is so important! It helps you develop a great work ethic which can help you in life.

Sometimes my autism gets in the way like, sometimes my mom will tell me something she needs me to do and I hear her,

but I can’t process it at the time. And it’s hard because even

after three or four times of her

saying it, I still don’t understand. And she might rephrase it and then I’ll get it. Or other times I just still can’t process it for some reason. But it’s ok

because there are many other things I am good at. Sometimes I find myself repeating the TV, or other people, and sometimes even talking to myself. That’s called echoing and it’s quite normal and helps me

process.

For the longest time, I didn’t understand that some of the

problems I have in school or a social situation are not my fault but now I see. I have a condition

called autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and that is a real thing that makes real things hard. And that's ok.

I’ve learned that it’s not the war

outside you must win, it’s the war inside us. If you don’t do that then you’ll never know how strong you are, but when you do, they’ll never know what hit them.

Having autism is not something you can change or cure, but why would you want to? There’s nothing wrong with us. You have uniqueness and the strength of a fighter in you to help your abilities shine through. Once you figure out how to walk, jump, or even drive then you’ll see it will always be there but you’re not going to let it stop you from the beautiful journey through life

Thank you for reading this, love

FLIGHT ONE featuring; Liam Hillyer, Elysian, Seagoth, Rhys Hopkins and Aligners, is the first of five releases, with five tracks adding to the compilation each month on Bandcamp Friday. Although the compilation is intergenerational, many young musicians will be featured and still have the chance to submit their tracks and get support from the team to bring their own music to life. contact loosecommunityrecords@gmail.com The Studio and LOOSE would normally host many artists performing their tracks live, playing alongside each other at gigs, building a fan base and meeting and collaborating at rehearsals. The pandemic has closed down those opportunities for musicians all over the World. We responded by developing an online community, with jam sessions, streams, mentoring and songwriting/music production and more. To bring that work together and ensure Halton based artists can find a goal to focus on and something to aim for when inspiration and confidence are being tested, we created LOOSE Community Records. A genuine opportunity to talk, create, collaborate and stay connected to music and the spoken word. The label aims to be a home for original, new or previously recorded music and audio, to lend a guiding hand through production and promotion and give space and time for sharing knowledge, skill and experience. As well as the compilation release, there will be live events, workshops and unique projects through 2021. Loose Community Records is not driven by one person; it is a community fused by the drive to keep the love of original music alive for all.