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

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

• Cribbage Skunked Me but I’m Making Progress

  • Take Your Pulse

    • Yeehawesome!

  • Today’s Beany-full Summary:

Cribbage Skunked Me but I’m Making Progress

Do you remember in last week’s newsletter when I mentioned that I love checking off boxes on my to-do list, but I have trouble not kicking myself when I leave some boxes empty at the end of the day?

(Don’t worry if that is beyond your recall; my memory is sketchy so I get it. And let me tell you, perimenopause doesn’t help one iota.)

My to-do lists are my Build-A-Brain hidden assets.

They can also be a source of consternation and/or frustration sometimes. When I see empty boxes at the end of the day, I can kick myself or…

I can tell myself: “Abigail, great job! Look at all that you did today! Remember all that went well today!”

Just like the other day when I played cribbage for the second time in my life—it’s not an easy game to learn and it had probably been about six months since I last played. We played two games this time; one time I got close enough to the finish line to not be skunked, and the second time I got skunked (which means I was too far behind and didn’t make it to the non-skunking line).

Look at that cribbage board. You peg your way forward a bit at a time.

I can peg myself as someone who doesn’t get stuff done.

Or I can peg my way forward a bit at a time, learning the game, making progress, not kicking myself.

I can peg myself as someone who works hard and tries hard.

I can peg myself as a person making progress.

My autistic brain tells me that everything is black or white (like a skunk, perhaps).

All or nothing.

But you know what? I’m learning that lots of colors really delight me. I think that that painted cribbage board is just beautiful.

I can’t change my neurodivergent brain. But I can add to it. I can move the pegs a little bit each day. I can peg myself with grace.

Take Your Pulse

“‘When someone’s heart stops beating, first take your own pulse.’”

“Two superpowers in anxiety management are noticing and curiosity.”

“I have come to see anxiety management as an essential path to being well.”

Though this article in Christianity Today focuses on being a healthy Christian leader, I think it applies to lots of folks, me included.

As someone with anxiety, hearing that two traits that I already have, noticing and curiosity, are “superpowers,” is encouraging. It’s not selfish to take care of yourself, and in fact, it’s essential.

Pausing is essential too. Do we pause enough and take stock of how we feel? Do we ask ourselves if we are OK? Do we ask God for help?

I hope you have time to read the whole article, and if you do, please let me know what you think. (Thank you to my friend Ashley for sharing it.)

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. One gihugic dopamine hit acquired! My “24 for ‘24” list has 24 items on it that I’d like to do in 2024, and billiards with my hubby was one of them. Check mark! It was a fantastically fun experience.

2. “Sherlock & Co.” is a podcast bringing much zest into my earwormy world. (Yes, earworms are supposedly just for songs, but my opinion is that it can apply to podcasts, and the theme music for Sherlock & Co. is great anyway.) The voice actors for Sherlock and Watson sound just like Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman from the BBC TV series. It’s uncanny. And there’s a fun twist on the character of Mrs. Hudson that just tickles me. (By the way, there is a content warning at the beginning of each episode.)

3. The statistics of autistic people in work/out of work can be dispiriting, but this is Yeehawesome! after all and so I have a positive story about a man in the UK named Matt Boyd who is dyslexic. With supports in place, Matt did great at university, but then unfortunately he struggled in the workplace. He went on to create a wonderful job placement/recruitment organization called Exceptional Individuals that helps those with neurodivergencies to get connected with suitable jobs and for those workplaces to provide the supports that each neurodivergent employee needs. Well done, Matt!

4. Just a reminder that the very Yeehawesome! book Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World by Tilt Parenting podcast host, Debbie Reber, is available to the end of August for just US$1.99 on Amazon. It’s a fantastic resource. (Not an affiliate link. I do not make any money from this link. It’s just a book that I found very helpful.)

Beany Brownie Points and Extra Bonus Funniness

Today’s Beany-full Summary:

• Peg yourself as someone who tries hard and works hard. 

• Peg yourself with grace.

• Skunks are black-and-white thinking but we can add in some extra colors for variety.

• Noticing and curiosity are your anti-anxiety superpowers.

• Pause and ask yourself how you’re feeling periodically. Take your own pulse.

• 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.

If you’re enjoying Beany Brain, please share with a friend or seventeen at www.beanybrain.com. Cheers big time!