Patterns

Not every autistic person is Rain Man. Let’s just get that clear right now. That includes me. But there are some of us who are really in love with patterns. I believe my catch with patterns is what allows me to sit down and pour through spreadsheets and find the holes and trends. I love analysis, probably because I have a love of patterns.

But let’s get one thing right. Patterns aren’t always about numbers. Even when it involves numbers, it’s not about numbers.

My wife and I finally had enough of our phones that were four generations back. They were paid off. We were settled in to them. Had we known the trouble we were in for after the iOS upgrade, we probably wouldn’t have done it. But here’s the problem with that. Eventually, all those nice apps we love to use will eventually no longer be compatible with our phones. So we had a good deal available to replace the phones. But I had to change my phone number to do it.

Everyone said “finally, you can get a local number”. But of course we all know area codes don’t mean what they used to. Since that was the case, I was looking at the pattern of the number. Not the pattern of the numerals, but the physical pattern on the dialer. I picked my area code. Then the customer service rep showed me some available numbers. I was sitting there air dialing each number. There was one that felt correct, and I chose it.

Some people have said it was weird. In a nutshell it is, but it is me. But something I will tell you is that, for the first time ever, I don’t have to go checking every time I tell someone my new number. I just tell them.

Originally published at The VoiceOver.