I too face it, every day of my life, it's difficult and even now I haven't conquered everything I must.

I just want to say to you all, don't give up on life, don't give up on friends. Our inability to properly communicate hampers our spirits, yes, but the more we try, the better we'll get at it.

If life has you down in a depressed slump with seemingly no way out of the shadows, consider finding a new way in life.

I've been trapped in a small town for many years, with an antisocial, abusive father. Everyone here now judges me by his actions, this may not be fair, but I do understand their view of it.
I'm going off to the Canadian Armed Forces ASAP, to find a new life for myself, and a brighter future.

Remember, even to those without aspergers, no matter how desperate a situation may seem, there's always a way out.

Good luck, good life, good health. Strive for a better tomorrow, one step at a time.

[smallwhitedog]

Wow, you are doing a terrific thing! I have always wondered what would have happened if I had done that. I'm at the other end of life and making the best of that. You know what I thought might be good about the Armed Forces? Rules. At first that might not sound good, but for Asperger's - that our problem, isn't it? We don't know what to do, what to say. And the Armed Forces *defines* all that! I really hope you keep in touch and let us know how you go. Best of luck!

[Uprwestsdr]

You've got a powerful message and I thank you for the encouragement!

[smallwhitedog]

There is one thing that I wonder about - the total lack of privacy. Or are you going in as an officer? I know very little about these things. Until I got my own apartment, I lived as part of a 6 member family in a 5 room apartment, with thin walls. So I needed about a century of solitude to get over it. Are there privacy issues for you?

[-jimi-]

Problem is I can socialize on my own terms, I don't care if they are different and many people actually do not care either. I have friends. Of course I am awkward socially and I need a lot of own time.

But what really holds me back is the so called executive functioning skills. Or lack thereof. I have tried so many strategies and I still end up with a mess. I think I was born to live in a hut and only own one cup and one pot. And no appointments and anything else that needs organizing.

[smallwhitedog]

This is my 2nd reply - danged Tabs!

Executive Function - is that what it's called! It's nice to find out why I do the things I do. I live in a small apartment and I have 2 cups and 4 plates of varying sizes, a small bowl, a big bowl, plus a huge bowl for spaghetti (it was Mom's). Also full set of cutlery from garage sale.

So in the Armed Forces I might pass for normal, as far as that is concerned.

You know what else? Wardrobe! Oh I always wanted to have those daily decisions taken away.

You mention "own time" - there is none in the Armed Services; that was what held me back. Although running can provide own time.

I'm fascinated by what you're doing; please keep in touch!

[oshawoot]

Originally Posted by Tirekyll

I too face it, every day of my life, it's difficult and even now I haven't conquered everything I must.

I just want to say to you all, don't give up on life, don't give up on friends. Our inability to properly communicate hampers our spirits, yes, but the more we try, the better we'll get at it.

If life has you down in a depressed slump with seemingly no way out of the shadows, consider finding a new way in life.

I've been trapped in a small town for many years, with an antisocial, abusive father. Everyone here now judges me by his actions, this may not be fair, but I do understand their view of it.
I'm going off to the Canadian Armed Forces ASAP, to find a new life for myself, and a brighter future.

Remember, even to those without aspergers, no matter how desperate a situation may seem, there's always a way out.

Good luck, good life, good health. Strive for a better tomorrow, one step at a time.

Thanks for the kind words. It makes me feel a lot better about having Aspergers Syndrome.