For example, his hairbrush was getting old and worn. He had chewed the end of it. The cats had chewed some bristles. It was dirty and dusty. But I didn’t say anything. Because it’s his hairbrush.

Finally, he said he thinks it’s time for a new brush. Ok, I say, we’ll put it on the shopping list, and get one next time we’re in town.

So we go to town and we go to the store. There are many hairbrushes to choose from. He picks one and they even have it in his favorite color. We buy it, take it home, and remove the packaging.

I go to put it on the shelf where the old hairbrush is. Can we throw out the old one, I ask.

That’s when he stops. That’s when he freezes and gets a momentary look of panic on his face. Throw out the old one? That hadn’t occurred to him.

Because here’s the thing. Hair brushing is a part of his morning routine. And not just hair brushing, but hair brushing with that particular brush. To most people, the act of hair brushing is the routine, but not the brush itself. The objects are interchangeable. But not to my child. Not to someone with autism. The brush itself is just as important as the act of brushing.

So I take a breath. I put the old brush down. Think about it, I say. Let me know tomorrow what you want to do with this brush.

He decides. He realizes keeping an old hairbrush is not necessary. But it’s still important to him. So he asks if I can cut off one bristle. To keep. As a memory of the old hairbrush.

I don’t laugh. I don’t tell him it’s silly. I respect his need. I cut off the bristle. He puts it in his treasure box, along side some smooth rocks, beads, sparkly decals, a Santa Claus charm from a classmate, a few other things meaningful to him.

u/Cant_Even18 shares the horrific details of what it was like to have COVID.

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i’ve been making a lot of playlists lately so i wanted to share some of my favourites, which i make based off specific feelings/concepts!

lovely complex: falling for someone you think has feelings for you too, but you’re both unsure of what to do about it, basking in the fluff and uncertainty (made this thinking of risa and otani from the show)

a summer shower with every drop of rain singing: it’s very late and you’re approaching the end of your sob session tonight, you can hear the rain softly hitting your window, attempting to fall asleep with your sadness tonight

la douleur exquise: you’re in a parked car with the person you like, it’s late and you can see the moon quite clearly.. neither of you are too tired, but the setting isn’t asking for anything incredibly upbeat either. you like this person. a lot. you hope they can catch onto your projections through these songs without having to confess, and getting rejected anyways. 

scum’s wish: intense unrequited love, filling the void with temporary affection and warmth from someone that also wishes you were also someone else. messy, confused, thinking about the person you love a lot, you can’t really decipher your own emotions (yes, i used the show as inspiration here too).

cravings^2: sadness is your most comfortable feeling. when you find more pleasure in having your heart broken than when you feel happiness approaching. this playlist fuels your nightly session of getting sad again, endless yearning for something or someone. when did the thought of happiness become so terrifying? there’s also hints of unrequited love, which you bring upon yourself anyways since you’ve gotten so attached to putting yourself in upsetting situations.