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 …

• Reflections

  • Spoons

  • Wonderful Wednesday

  • Today’s Beany-full Summary:

Reflections

I feel like I overshared last week, but I’m moving on from that. And until I do, I’m going to reflect and share even more.

Many autistic folks have felt the same—we get excited about something or nervous and then later regret sharing too much private info.

Even years later, I can feel myself cringing as I remember personal stuff that I’ve shared with people who were just acquaintances.

It’s funny (not very haha) how anxiety can cause you to say or do something and then later the same obnoxious anxiety says, Hey, now I’m gonna kick you for that very thing!

Speaking of reflections, I was sharing on social media this week about how I so wish we could just jam a rod in the bicycle spokes of hurt. I had participated in a Zoom call with the South Carolinians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and then chatted with a grandma friend in the neighborhood who is suffering from arthritis.

So much pain in the world.

We even have a book of exercises and stretches by Pete Egoscue called Pain Free. (It’s helpful.)

How I wish that title were true for all of us.

We all have deep hurts and shame that we can’t discuss in a newsletter or social media or with acquaintances or sometimes even with dear friends (or you don’t want to overwhelm them because they are going through their own stuff). God and a therapist are good for this.

(Who do therapists get therapy from? I mean, who is the last therapist at the end of the line? The Final Arbiter of Therapiness?)

I can only ramble in this post and through each day.

Jesus is the answer, yes, and until he sets all things right with his justice and righteousness (rightness), there’s gonna be crap to deal with.

And people to love.

Humans to see his face in.

Neurodivergencies that exhaust us.

Pain that causes that bicycle wheel to squeak.

Where’s the WD-40?

Where’s the rod to jam in the wheel and stop pain cycles?

I’m gonna reflect on how I can be someone’s WD-40 this week.

Maybe after I take a nap.

Spoons

Speaking of naps…

Spoon Theory is a framework for understanding how much bandwidth you have.

How many spoons you have.

When you wake up, how much energy do you have for that day? Enough to get you through your morning routine and not much else? Enough to go tackle a big work project? Enough to just open your eyes? Enough to attend a party and chitchat with various groups of people? Enough to maybe have a cup of tea and roll over and go back to sleep?

For each individual and for each moment, your number of spoons can vary.

Those who have an underlying health condition or disability or who are neurodivergent or have PTSD will naturally have fewer spoons to begin with than a physically healthy and neurotypical person.

It’s not your fault and it’s not something you can necessarily change.

Yes, you can take a nap. That might recharge a bit.

Have a snack. Drink a glass of water or a cup of tea. Sit in a quiet place with a book. Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Pray. Do some latch hook. Change your scene. Go to a library. (That’s where I recharge and get happy.)

For kids who don’t understand their spoons or lack thereof, they can run themselves ragged or get run ragged by externals. As an adult who is gradually learning to understand myself and my own needs better, I’m saying no more often.

Maybe someone can’t get all their needs met because of a certain job situation or family situation. The spoons run out quickly. Maybe a 5-minute break in the car can help.

Maybe a spoon or five of ice cream.

Maybe listening to a podcast.

How many spoons do you have available right now?

I want to remember that my own spoons run low and that others around me could be in a similar spoon-less boat. And how can you row without at least two big soup spoons?

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. Nissan Rasheen cars! I’m the only one in my family who likes them, but I’m standing proud and tall on this car’s behalf. Cute, hey. They’re old, they’re boxy, they don’t make them anymore, and I want one in aqua with maybe a few colorful polka dots on it. Who has one that I could borrow for a day?

2. Sunday night I dropped everything and said yes to myself. That meant I watched one of my favorite movies for about the 957th time (“Next Stop Wonderland”—it has the best Brazilian jazz soundtrack, guys, and is a bit of an edgier rom-com, not fluffy, so well written) and did some more on my llama latch hook. It felt wonderful.

3. Reading kidlit. So fun. One of our city libraries has quite a bit in English, including one by the author of Babe called Lady Lollipop that I enjoyed this week.

4. This is interesting: Babies born to mothers who have had COVID during pregnancy are not showing markers for autism, as some folks were worried might happen. (I honestly had never heard that this was a concern.) The Columbia University Irving Medical Center summary says, “Children born during the pandemic, including those exposed to COVID in utero, were no more likely to screen positive for autism than unexposed or pre-pandemic children.”

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:

• Reflecting is OK. Naps are good too.

• Spoon Theory explains your bandwidth capabilities and whether you have energy for a certain task or event. You can help add spoons with whatever gives you energy or joy. We need to be aware of others and their potential lack of spoons. It also gives us extra reasons to give ourselves and others grace.

• 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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