How’s that for a comfort zone?
Tuesday, March 25th, 2008When looking back over the years and thinking about the tags that had to be cut from clothing, the brushing therapy, the meltdowns in the mall food court because of lighting and noise, the inability to shop in Sam’s Wholesale Club because of the lights, the yelps and tears from a finger being pointed his direction, I would laugh out loud if you told me one day my Asperger son would be sitting on a plywood seat of a canoe in a mosquito infested swamp mere feet away from an alligator as large my son! That’s exactly how we spent last week. Five adults and thirteen boys including my son spent five days and four nights on Mixon’s Hammock in the Okefenokee Swamp.
The strenuous paddling upstream into the wind was frustrating but did not break Tommy’s spirit. The mosquitoes thick as morning fog did not quell his desire to sleep in a tent in a swamp and the infected (from scratching) bites are now a source of pride as a battle scar. The four foot long black and brown snake that took residence under Tommy’s tent to avoid further harassment by the curious scouts did not send Tommy packing. The ravenous raccoons, masked with sharp claws, wandering through camp as if they were part of our company, and coming within 10 feet of the humans, did not bother Tommy in the least. The only part of the experience that threw Tommy for a loop was the composting toilet which was almost full to the brim and in desperate need for a new treatment of enzymes. I am sure he wasn’t the only scout that waited five days for the clean restroom of the Corral Wheel restaurant.
Do not let anyone ever tell you what your Aspie cannot do for your child is capable of amazing feats!