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Just One Thing PDF Print E-mail
Written by Gayle Nobel   
Monday, 12 January 2009 17:33

Happy New Year! Due to holidays, kids coming home from college, illnesses, tonsillectomies (just one, not mine), and limited room to breathe, I have been out of blog mode. However, now I’m back and looking forward to a wonderful New Year.

As we shift from 2008  to 2009, I find myself wanting to make a personal shift as well.

Time seems to pass so quickly. Although our kids go through some phases that feel like they will never end, they really grow up much too fast. This year, all three of my amazing children will be in their twenties and I can’t help but wonder how the years have passed so quickly.

Due to an upcoming milestone birthday, the seemingly rapid passage of time is at the forefront for me. Though I have many dreams and goals for the New Year, first and foremost, is just one thing: slowing down. As I slow down, I am able to notice and be more mindful to life’s details (the good, the not so good, and the ugly). It’s easy to get overwhelmed. There are so many things (“have to’s and want to’s) on my plate, I think I need a bucket.

 I like the idea of “just one thing”. Finding just one thing to focus on this year- slowing down. Finding just one thing that must be accomplished for the day- writing this blog. Finding just one thing to notice and celebrate about my child today-he’s really good at listening to his body when he’s sick.

Just one thing in action. Here’s a sneak preview of a piece that will probably appear in my next book.

Just One Thing

Yesterday was a rough day for Kyle. Stress, anxiety, behavior we usually don’t see- it was all there when I picked him up from his program for our weekly trek to music therapy. I knew it was going to be an “interesting” session.

Kyle was having very little part of making music. Nearly everything was pushed away or tossed. He appeared fully engaged in “Kyle-land”. I watched from the observation room .Admittedly I was feeling disappointed. I had driven a long way for what appeared to be nothing- or certainly not very much today.

When the session was over, I went into the music room for our usual chat. This is our time to discuss the session. Typically it is a small celebration of all the ways Kyle participated that day. Often, there are many. Some very amazing musical stuff has taken place in this room.
“Today was all about Kyle.” Kathleen commented. “But, he WAS able to do some cool stuff anyway.” “You’ll have to point it out to me.” I said, with a hint of sarcasm but genuine desire to hear about the good for today.

 Kyle is able to harmonize. Though he appeared to be elsewhere, he was singing(humming) in harmony when they were  in his preferred keys. When they switched keys to unfamiliar ones, he made some unsuccessful attempts at finding the key. However, at the very end of the goodbye song at the piano, the very last beat of the entire session, he found it!  In harmony, he belted out the final note.

 Kyle was connected musically. Once again, he defied appearances as well as our beliefs. He was there. It just took someone who was listening with a tuned ear to notice.

It’s all about noticing just one thing. This is what makes life juicy. This is what creates good feelings to take home with me. Joy and delight is found in the tiny details of my experiences. And, it only takes one.   Just one thing!

Notice Just One Thing today.
Is your child having a rough day? Are you? There is Just One Thing lurking in your day. Share it with someone or write it down. Blow it up and make it a highlight, a moment in your mind or on the page. Just One Thing.

Last Updated on Monday, 12 January 2009 17:38
 
A Holiday Gift of Attitude PDF Print E-mail
Written by Gayle Nobel   
Monday, 22 December 2008 13:55

This article will soon be published online. However, the holidays are here and I wanted to share it before they pass.

Your attitude determines your experience in life. This is especially true during the holidays. Living with autism comes with a tremendous set of challenges for the individual and the family. Pile the holiday season on top of that, and it can be quite a load.

The changes in routine and busyness of the season can add extra stress to a person with autism, taking some of the “happy” out of holidays. The ripple effect is felt by the entire family.

  Tips for loving and living well with autism during the holiday season

1-     Gratitude

Make gratitude your attitude.   Isn’t gratitude what our celebrations are supposed to be all about? Too easily, it gets tossed aside amongst the used wrapping paper. By default, people tend to focus on what’s missing, what they don’t have, or what’s not right in their life and the world.

What if we viewed gratitude as more than just an emotion or feeling?  If instead, we took gratitude on as a posture toward life, we might just experience how it could be tested and then strengthened through adversity. We don’t have to wait for the feeling to magically come over us. We can decide to make gratitude a permanent stance toward life.

Practice gratitude.  What do you love about your child? Yup, the one that just had a meltdown while holiday shopping at the mall. Put your attitude of gratitude into action. Gift yourself with a list of all the little things you love about that special person with autism in your life.

2-    Nourishment

No, not that tin of holiday cookies. People who live with individuals on the autism spectrum are in giving mode much of the time. Add the holidays to that mix, and it’s easy to become depleted.

Take some time to fill your own well. It’s tough to keep running the ‘living with autism marathon’ if you are dehydrated. Get your exercise in whatever form recharges and nourishes you. Gift yourself with a five minute slice of time each day to do whatever brings you peace and calms you down. Replenish yourself regularly and hydrate well.

3-    Slow Down

What? When there are a million things on your to do list? Living with autism is a marathon, not a sprint. You’re in this for the long haul during and after the holiday season. Besides, if you don’t slow down, you might miss something. Spend time just being with your child out of therapy mode. Take some time to experience the gift of your child.  Notice and treasure the moments of delight with the special child in your life.

Make time. Take time. Slowing down will enable you to be more mindful and attentive to your child. Slowing down to adjust for your child’s slower processing speed will give you both the opportunity to experience more joy during this holiday season.

Indulge. Practice gratitude, nourishment and slowing down for the holidays. In fact, they will afford you the opportunity to experience more joy at any time of the year.


 
Inspiration PDF Print E-mail
Written by Gayle Nobel   
Wednesday, 17 December 2008 01:00

 I can use a little inspiration today and maybe you can too. 

"There are two ways to live your life.

One is as though nothing is a miracle.

The other is as though everything is a miracle."

Albert Einstein

(Good old Albert... some say he was on the Autism Spectrum and a wee bit "quirky".)

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind, don't matter, and those who matter, don't mind."

Dr. Seuss

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you might miss it."

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

"Experiencing life with those in the world of autism gives us a different lens, lending new vision to everything we took for granted and hurried past on the way to notions of life's greater priorities."

"Souls " by Sharon Rosenbloom (one of my favorite books)

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens: but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us."

Helen Keller

"Everything can be taken from a man or woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

Viktor Frankl (concentration camp survivor), "Man's Search For Meaning"

 

Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 December 2008 14:55
 
Glorious Gluten Free PDF Print E-mail
Written by Gayle Nobel   
Thursday, 11 December 2008 17:20

Last week I finally made the trek down to a local gluten free bakery I recently heard about. Wow! Where have I been? This place has been in Phoenix for over four years and I didn’t know about it.

I was immediately greeted by the friendly owner, LynnRae Ries. She offered several samples of her delicious breads and cakes. When I told her I needed dairy free, that was no problem and I was steered in the right direction. Even the impossible to find gluten free oatmeal was right there on her shelves. Everything I tasted was absolutely delicious.

Kyle has been on the gluten free diet for about ten years. Does it help? Honestly, I’m not sure anymore. Originally, it seemed to help with his severe cyclical anxiety episodes. However, after a year, the anxiety returned despite the diet. He continued on the diet anyway. At this point, he’s been on it so long and now doing so well, I hesitate to rock the boat.

Though limited in some areas, Kyle doesn’t seem to mind being on it as long as we can offer tasty alternatives. He has learned to tolerate the bread- toasted, that is, and slathered with peanut butter. However, I can’t say any of the bread we’ve gotten is wonderful…. up until I discovered Gluten Free Creations Bakery, that is. Now, gluten free eating will be much more enjoyable for Kyle.

I was also excited to find out that this bakery makes premade pizza crusts and supplies several pizza places around town. I must admit discovering Gluten Free Creations really made my day. I was like a kid in a candy shop. Ok, maybe I don’t have a life, but everything smelled and tasted so good. Later that evening, Kyle was in heaven as he devoured Lynn Rae’s herb rolls. And I was in heaven just watching him. Hey, you gotta appreciate the small stuff, right?

You can order from www.glutenfreecreations.com and they will ship their delicious baked goods right to you. I believe LynnRae said they are shipped frozen.

Well, I know I’m excited. If someone you know eats sans gluten, check out this wonderful bakery.

Gayle

PS LynnRae is now carrying our book “It’s All About Attitude” Loving and Living Well with Autism. She is an author too and has written the following books (available on www.whatnowheat.com ) for the gluten-free/celiac community:

•    What? No Wheat? - a lighthearted approach to living the gluten free life. 
•    Delicious Gluten-Free Wheat-Free Breads - easy to make breads for the Bread Machine and Oven.
•    Waiter, is there Wheat in My Soup? - helpful information to make your gluten-free wheat-free dining out choices easier.
•    The Gluten-Free Cooking School Introduces… A Life of Fabulous Foods - an adventure through recipes, techniques and insights from the highly recognized Gluten-Free Cooking School.


Last Updated on Friday, 12 December 2008 12:31
 
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