Pivot

Dear Addie,

This week, we pivoted. What I once knew only as a dance move (if you know, you know) has become a life lesson, proof that pivoting isn’t just motion, but a way of survival, growth, and grace. A strategic shift in your plan while keeping your core vision intact. Something that initially feels frustrating and unnatural, and from my own experience can bring you to tears in a heartbeat if you let it, but over time becomes organic and simply part of everyday life. If it’s not working one way, we don’t give up...just pivot.

For Autism families, pivoting isn’t occasional...it’s often daily. Our lives are a constant redirection, adjusting and readjusting as we try to move from point A to point B.

This week, we pivoted. In fact, the whole town pivoted as not one, but two winter storms hit our great state. The first arrived last weekend, bringing significant ice and freezing temperatures. The next… well, as I sit here watching the news, projections keep shifting - showing up later and with less accumulation each time, so we shall see. Stay tuned.

Hearing things like this from the south is something almost laughable to folks up north, but while we can all laugh a bit about it, the fact is we’re not quite as equipped here as states where it snows on the regular. So we do what we know best: panic-buy supplies, close the towns, wait, bring home the class pet "Scout" and yes, pivot.

*Scout - the class pet

This week, as one would expect, schools closed. Literally no surprise if you live here. Thanks to COVID, schools now have the ability to transition to online classes when necessary, allowing instructional days to continue without having to make them up at the end of the year.

Having said that, I’m not naïve - I know online school isn’t for everyone, and that its success varies depending on how it’s implemented. But for us, it has been successful and a helpful way to maintain structure, allowing you to still see classmates, therapists, and teachers, all while keeping everyone safe. Is it a perfect system? No. Is it something rather than nothing, yes...And for us, pivoting to something is far better than the latter.

Addie, this week we pivoted. Something we’ve grown accustomed to doing many times along our journey - and while it’s not always the ideal way, it’s simply another way to get to where we’re going.

Great job this week, baby girl. Now let’s see if the snow decides to show up…

Love,

Mom