When Life Is Full of Square Holes but You're a Round Peg Reflection: Everything I've ever tried to do has been a challenge for me—from tying my shoes to reading to maths. It was never easy. I’ve always had to take extra time, use up more spoons, push through more frustration just to get the job done right. While others were walking through open doors, I was trying to reshape myself to fit into keyholes that were never made for me. I tried. I always tried. But when the world demands speed, neatness, sameness—it doesn’t care that my brain works differently. It doesn’t wait for me to catch up. And that pressure builds. Every little task eats a piece of energy I might not get back for days. Add all the sensory overload that stacks up throughout the day—the lights too bright, sounds too sharp, clothes too scratchy, smells too strong—and eventually it’s not just tiredness. It’s meltdown. It’s shutdown. It’s trauma, piling up like bricks on my chest. Over time, that toll becam...

Life Update: July Check-In 🌱 Hey everyone, It’s been a minute since I sat down to write an honest life update, so here we go. July’s been heavy, messy, weirdly hopeful, and exhausting all at the same time. That’s real life though, right? Facing Bankruptcy (and Anxiety) Earlier this month, I had my second appointment with the bankruptcy attorney to file Chapter 7. Walking into that office felt like dragging a hundred pounds of invisible weight. My mom couldn’t come with me that day, and that absolutely threw me. I didn’t realize how much I rely on having someone I trust nearby until I was sitting there trying to process legal talk that felt like it was in another language. The woman helping me finally noticed I was struggling, and I handed her my autism card that explains I sometimes need things repeated or said more clearly. Honestly? That was a small win for me. Asking for help instead of masking my way through confusion isn’t easy, but I did it. I still don’t remember...

Second Appointment with the Bankruptcy Attorney: A Hard Morning This morning was one of those days where just showing up felt like a battle. I want to share what happened, not because it was perfect, but because it was real.

Life Lately: A Quiet Fighter’s Update 🌿 Life Lately: A Quiet Fighter’s Update It’s been a lot lately. And honestly? I’m tired—but I’m still here, still trying, still fighting quietly. The past few weeks have felt like living inside a pressure cooker. Between work stress, prepping for bankruptcy to finally breathe again, health flares, and just the weight of existing as an autistic, anxious millennial in this loud world… it’s been overwhelming. Some mornings, before my feet even hit the floor, everything already feels loud and heavy. My health has been a maze of high blood pressure numbers, chest tightness, weird heart rate spikes, and nights where sleep feels impossible. The sleep apnea, insomnia, and random buzzing sensations through my body don’t help either. And the sensory overload? Still there. Three streets over, a truck backup beeper sounds like it’s right beside me, even with earplugs shoved in. Emotionally, it’s been messy. There are moments of laughter—like...

🪰 The Day I Battled a Houdini Fly (and Got News That Shook Me) Today was… well, something else . It all started when I was attacked by a fly. Not just any fly—this little menace had to be related to Houdini himself . He’d dive bomb me, vanish, then come back for round two like it was some kind of twisted game. It was downright infuriating. Then the fly turned on Mikey—which, to be fair, he deserved after laughing at my hysterical flailing. Picture me jumping around, waving my arms, trying to protect myself from this unprovoked aerial assault. Mikey thought it was the funniest thing ever… until he became target number two. Despite our heroic efforts, we never managed to squash the bugger. It felt like a full-on 911 emergency . And of course, when we texted Miranda to come rescue us, she was in the shower. Perfect sitcom timing, right? 📞 And then—my phone rang… Ryan, my boss, said he wants to sit down Wednesday and *have a talk.* And just to calm me down, he...

So Ryan—my boss here at O’Reilly Auto Parts—asked me to take on the new Welcome Center planogram for the front of the store. Cool, no problem. I pulled all the old merchandise off, got the new stock up on the shelves, and even swapped out all the price labels like a pro. Then came the sales labels. Cue ominous music. Here’s the thing: on the second shelf, there’s only space for four long sales labels total. But surprise! There are more than four different products on that shelf. So now the sales labels are covering up the price labels, which makes zero sense and is completely messing with my OCD and anxiety. It’s like: how do you expect me to finish this when my brain is screaming at me that the layout is wrong, the labels don’t match the products, and everything is visually lying to the customers? Miranda—being the wonderful human she is—noticed I was spiraling and told me to go sit down in the office and close the door. I appreciated that, I really did. But the spiral was already spi...