Beany Brain: loving our jumping-bean brains!

Welcome to this issue of the Beany Brain! I hope today’s newsletter will bounce us up as we contemplate the upsides and challenges of being neurodivergent, a little beauty, some creativity, and just general yeehawesomeness.

Table of Contents

• Beany Brain: loving our jumping-bean brains!

  • Welcome to this issue of the Beany Brain! I hope t …

• The 10 Ws

  • Pre-Workin’ 9 to 5

    • Yeehawesome!

  • Wonderful Wednesday

  • Today’s Beany-full Summary:

The 10 Ws

Life continues apace.

Man, sometimes that apace just really needs some space.

Space to…

Heal.

Rest.

Grow.

Think.

Smile, even.

Well, folks, last week I wrote about getting yourself a dopamine menu and/or a WTH (what the heck) menu.

How’s that going? Did you try any of the above? If not, do NOT beat yourself up.

We could try a little sumthin’-sumthin’ new if you like. (Or not. Completely up to you and your spoons.)

So today it’s the 10 Ws.

(This idea comes by way of Diana Butler Bass in her Substack called The Cottage.)

Now, these seem pretty doable. Maybe not every day, but doable. And if you’re neurodivergent like me, or even a stressed-out neurotypical person, give yourself some grace.

And maybe practicing these 10 Ws will help build in some extra grace when our Grace Meter is running low. When our Grace Machine needs some grease in the gears. When our Grace Cup does not overfloweth.

Here are Diana Butler Bass’s 10 Ws to help us deal with stuff (you know, stuff):

1. Wake up. (Get yourself on a good sleep schedule.)

2. Welcome the day. (Say thanks.)

3. Walk. (I love saying hi to my Penelotree.)

4. (Be) with others. (Socialize together if you can, or connect virtually.)

5. Work. (Continue doing the work you love, and take Sabbaths too.)

6. Write. (I started keeping a one-sentence journal every night, and I write poetry as needed for my mental health. Getting the poems written out in a notebook helps me figure out how I’m feeling and what I’m thinking, and I surprise myself with metaphors too, which increases my satisfaction levels.)

7. Watch the news. (Stay informed. Of course you don’t have to overdo it. But it’s vital to keep up to some degree.)

8. Wide-sight. (This originally came from Parker Palmer, who wrote about looking around the periphery, keeping our sight soft, and taking in more of the world, not hyperfixating too much and losing perspective.)

9. Weep. (I have been.)

10. Wonder. (I recommend the Makers & Mystics podcast, January 28, 2025 episode called “Reclaiming Wonder Finale with Stephen Roach.” He tells a story about a hawk named Malachi, the meaning of the name Malachi, and how God speaks to us through nature and when we keep our eyes open. Around the 4-minute mark, he says, “We participate in the unfolding of wonder and beauty and meaning in our lives, or we participate in its loss.” This, to me, is not a threat or a harsh pronouncement, but a rich call to joy.

I wonder when and what I will write about and weep about next. Time to work on a walkabout. (I wish I could whistle. That’s the 11th W.)

Pre-Workin’ 9 to 5

An article from The Hechinger Report (a nonprofit that reports solely on education issues) recently stated that a US federal government program designed to help students with any kind of disability prepare for and enter college or the work force is drastically underutilized.

(Caveat: I don’t know how the recent infiltration of government agencies in the US, including the Department of Education, will affect these funds.)

The article, entitled “Hundreds of thousands of students are entitled to training and help finding jobs. They don’t get it” says

Yet only a fraction of students who are eligible for this Pre-ETS program (Pre-Employment Transition Services) have the access they need. Many don’t even know about it, and crazily enough, their schools and support workers may not have heard of it either, nor have most parents of eligible children.

There are students graduating from high school who want to go to college or go to work, but they need scaffolding to help them prepare.

Some of them might need help with executive functions skills in colleges or workplaces.

They’re entitled to help not just leading up to high school graduation, but beyond as well.

And one of the main skills they need is to learn how to advocate for themselves.

(I know, I know—I hate this for them, for us. I hate that this world is geared for neurotypical people without thought for neurodivergent needs and necessities.)

The schools and students who know about and have access to this pre-ETS program love it and have had many successful job placements. They even help students navigate the college admissions process.

I wish…

I wish smooth transitions for everyone and for the children they love. I wish I could snap my fingers and make this world a softer place.

If you are interested in receiving updates and various newsletters from The Hechinger Report, you can sign up here. They have many very helpful articles and resources.

Yeehawesome!

Yeehawesome! is a happy-brain roundup in each issue of Beany Brain. What’s happening that’s good in brain land? What’s bringing me joy?

1. Wow. Well done to this mum, Ms. Malthouse, in Devon, UK, for coming up with an app to help her autistic son get ready for school in the morning. With the help of her son’s autistic friend who’s 12 years old, Ms. Malthouse designed the app to use a cartoon dog to walk through the steps of getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc.

2. I had to run an errand (yes, even in the snow!) and I was worried about running into an unfriendly face (long story), but instead I saw and chatted with a very kind neighbor who was happy to see me and vice versa. It was a good reminder that worrying is usually fruitless. (My brain knows this and my brain doesn’t know this. I know, it’s clear as mud.)

3. Libraries and this quote by Albert Einstein: “The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.” I wholeheartedly and bookishly concur. Some of my happiest hours are in libraries—they’re totally yeehawesome.

Beany Brownie Points and Extra Bonus Funniness

Wonderful Wednesday

Wonderful Wednesday was a day once a year in college when they would suddenly and surprisingly call off all classes and we’d play all day. The cafeteria provided special fun food and we’d do stuff outside like slip ‘n slides and jello wrestling in sumo suits. This segment of Beany Brain is dedicated to that memory of silliness and fun—no words, just a photo from the week that I’ve taken or found that reminds me to let the joy in. Since Beany Brain is published on Wednesday every week (at least, Wednesday in Japan), I hope you enjoy this Wonderful Wednesday.

Today’s Beany-full Summary:

• The 10 Ws can help us navigate some stuff. They are Wake up, Welcome the day, Walk, (Be) With others, Work, Write, Watch the news, practice Wide-sight, Weep, and Wonder.

• Young people in the US who need it are entitled to a federally-funded pre-ETS program (pre-employment transition services). Yet this program is sometimes difficult to access, unfortunately. Those who have been helped by it say that it has been a great support for them.

• Go forth in Beany joy. What will help you feel yeehawesome this week?

Thank you for reading this installment of Beany Brain! You’re very welcome to hop on by any old time.

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