What
kind of person can you imagine being in a parallel world? Is there an alternate
life you can see yourself inhabiting—or becoming?
For
me, I often imagine a universe in which I’m not on the autistic spectrum. It’s
challenging to talk about this without being a downer. I also don’t want to
make others on the spectrum feel like it’s a flaw or an extraneous trait to be
pruned away. I think, though, that it’s important to be honest about my
disability. And, honestly, there are many days I
wish it wasn’t rooted into my DNA. I imagine a parallel world to move freely
throughout. A place where I can drive, take off on road trips, and leave home
by myself to make it further than just down the street.
I’ve
had this condition since birth. As a child, it was less noticeable to me
because most children have limited freedom. I also lacked the self-awareness to
see it was much more pronounced back then.
Living
on the spectrum can be like living as a message in a bottle. Transparent,
inescapable, and easily cracked, but I can last so much longer than expected. I
bob around on others’ tides to travel. My message is carefully kept, and it
says something new every day.
I
can fantasize about having alternate lives as an independent professional or a
wanderer who travels just as far physically as she does mentally. I can live
vicariously through other selves. Sometimes it feels pointless, but other times
it helps. It makes a difference upon the realization that some of the things I
daydream about can be done in this world, too. A bottle floated across the
ocean to let me know I don’t need it. To say that sometimes the distance can be
walked, too.
I
don’t want to frame this topic only around myself. Who do you believe you could
be in another reality, whether good or bad? Is there another version of you
that could have existed if you’d changed a life decision or been born under
different circumstances? And, when you find the more desired options within
other universes, is there a way to carry any of them into yours?
You
don’t have to tell me; just think about it. And, if you do want to share an
answer but not on a comment thread, you can message me privately. Whoever you
are.
Let’s
talk about this.
