A Powerful Why

A powerful why.

We all have one.

For many, it is what gets us out of bed in the morning.

It inspires us.

It pushes us forward when life is beating us down.

It serves as a reminder why we are here.

It provides purpose and meaning to our lives.

Our powerful why.

My powerful why keeps me up at night.

My struggles, my fears, my challenges — they love the darkness of night.

They whisper my greatest worries to me.

“You will never speak.”

“You will never be independent.”

I shut my eyes so tightly.

“No, you do not win!” — I shout loudly in my head.

Breathe in and out.

And again.

“God is greater.” — I tell myself.

“Focus on your why.

Your powerful why.” — I silently think.

Being minimally-speaking is a hardship I can’t adequately describe.

I have all of these thoughts, all of these feelings in my mind.

I open my mouth and grunts and noises and unreliable speech prevail.

It is a heartache I can’t fully express.

That’s when my powerful why rises like the sun in the east.

It is magnificent in those moments.

It is my faith in who I was called to be.

It is my Mom’s voice comforting me.

It is Will giving me “knucks”.

It is my Dad giving me a hug.

It is spelling this to you right now.

My ultimate powerful why is hope.

Hope that my words will inspire change.

My friends are worthy of acceptance and respect.

Autism is not what we thought our journey would be.

My hope is that misconceptions will diminish like dust in the wind.

That we will be seen.

Truly seen for who we really are.

We are scientists.

We are musicians.

We are authors.

We are human beings.

We are here.

Our powerful whys are beautiful reminders of why we are here.

What is your powerful why?