The Neighbor with Asperger’s: Do Something Kind

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Settle into my bed to get some work done on a book index. The dogs start losing their minds. Of course my frustration level is now high since I haven’t really had a calm moment all day. Nothing productive has happened since breakfast.

Here I go, walking into the living room to see what has the dogs so agitated. The neighbor who doesn’t like me is at the front door. I motion for him to go to the side porch. The neighbor who doesn’t like me is holding a picture. He presents this beautiful picture to me with a lovely, slightly disjointed analogy that compared appearances to hidden gifts.

My expression went from total annoyance to joy. The neighbor says to me, “I have Asperger’s.” He then confesses that the reason for this message and gift was because I scare him. My tattoos and bright red hair literally frighten him. This was his apology.

Immediately, I apologized for making him uncomfortable. The neighbor with Asperger’s says to me: “Don’t apologize. It’s your body .”

This interaction stuck with me. Someone with a condition that makes it near impossible for them to navigate social waters has this much insight to accept their fears are not anyone else’s fault. This left me wondering: why can’t society as a whole be more accepting of differences? Why do we have so many labels that separate us?

It seems like every day people pull further apart because of labels of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Through unity we find strength. There needs to be common ground to stop this madness. The more we divide, the meaner people become.

Let’s take a cue from this brave man. For someone who you wouldn’t typically interact with, do something kind.