Tragedy "On the Spectrum"

A young man in our neighborhood took his own life this month.  We did not know him other than having seen him perform for his next belt at the local karate dojo where our son went or to see him walking in the neighborhood.  Still, it hit hard knowing that a young person in our own neighborhood, who went to the same schools our critters will go to and was a member of our community battled internally so much that he saw this as the best solution, even for a moment.  Our thoughts and love go to his family and friends he left behind.

Here's where it took an even harder toll.  A fellow neighbor confided in us that he was "on the spectrum", and while that phrase could mean a myriad of things coming from a neighbor who also was not close to the family, to us, it means that another child battling anxiety, autism, attention like ours do did not feel safe, accepted and competent and certainly not included, enough to know that this was not a solution.  Again, our thoughts and love go out to his family and friends he left behind, even more so because we can relate to that phrase, "on the spectrum" and know it comes with an otherness for The Critter and our family that no intervention seems to change. Hugs and strength to all "on the spectrum".

After starting this post about Fighting to Fit, I find it more fitting to end this post here, simply with wishes for love and strength to all, especially our neighbors whom we did not know but wish we had, if only for them to know that they are safe and accepted by us in all their glorious differences.