I have a good friend who is a prostate cancer survivor. That's relevant because naturally he is going all out for Movember and growing a moustache this month. I am fully supportive of prostate cancer awareness and am very proud he is a prostate cancer survivor.
That's the thing. I consider him a good friend and supportive of my Asperger's Syndrome. I guess that's why what he did to me today shocked me.
He came over to me and gave me a hug and thought it would be funny to rub his newly grown moustache whiskers on my cheek. I freaked out. I stepped back and told him to keep his face away from me. His whiskers HURT! It felt like needles on my face.
My response hurt his feelings. He felt that I wasn't being supportive and that I was inflexible. He told me to "get over it."
Wow.
"Get Over It"
From someone that I thought understood me.
That hurt. (My Feelings)
It reminded me of when I was a little girl and my dad would come home from work and rub his five o'clock shadow on my face. He loved my reaction. "IT HURTS!" I would tell both my mom and dad that it hurt, but they would just chuckle and think I was hilarious. Mind you, this was before anyone knew a thing about Asperger's Syndrome and all the sensory sensitivities that come with the diagnosis.
I am constantly dealing with sensory issues. At the very moment he told me to "get over it"...
I know its easy to forget that I'm dealing with these things on a daily basis. I'm really good at faking normal. I don't blame my friend for responding the way he did. I really did hurt his feelings.
What I want everyone to know is that while us Aspies may not complain about all the things distracting us all the time, it doesn't mean we're not affected by them. Sensory sensitivities suck. All The Time.
That's the thing. I consider him a good friend and supportive of my Asperger's Syndrome. I guess that's why what he did to me today shocked me.
He came over to me and gave me a hug and thought it would be funny to rub his newly grown moustache whiskers on my cheek. I freaked out. I stepped back and told him to keep his face away from me. His whiskers HURT! It felt like needles on my face.
My response hurt his feelings. He felt that I wasn't being supportive and that I was inflexible. He told me to "get over it."
Wow.
"Get Over It"
From someone that I thought understood me.
That hurt. (My Feelings)
It reminded me of when I was a little girl and my dad would come home from work and rub his five o'clock shadow on my face. He loved my reaction. "IT HURTS!" I would tell both my mom and dad that it hurt, but they would just chuckle and think I was hilarious. Mind you, this was before anyone knew a thing about Asperger's Syndrome and all the sensory sensitivities that come with the diagnosis.
I am constantly dealing with sensory issues. At the very moment he told me to "get over it"...
- My clothes hurt. The way the fabric rubs against my skin is painful.
- The fan in the room sounded like a freaking plane about to take off
- The flickering florescent lights. Oh the flickering!!
I know its easy to forget that I'm dealing with these things on a daily basis. I'm really good at faking normal. I don't blame my friend for responding the way he did. I really did hurt his feelings.
What I want everyone to know is that while us Aspies may not complain about all the things distracting us all the time, it doesn't mean we're not affected by them. Sensory sensitivities suck. All The Time.
I hope the two of you made up! Sometimes it's hard to see things from the other person's point of view. The important thing is that we try to, even if we don't always succeed...
ReplyDeleteWe made up by day's end. Its all about communication!
ReplyDelete