Hello
Do you ever wish that LIFE came with a road map?
A map to tell you which decisions would lead you in the direction you needed to go to survive and more importantly Thrive?
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Let our BridgeBuilders be your tour guide...
Life's map to our best life possible comes dressed as a BridgeBuilder
I am Suzanne Plumley a transformational Life Coach for Late-Diagnosed Autistic women who did not learn that their traits and challenges were classified as Autistic because they went to school before Autism was recognized in the educational field. particularly in women.
Long before I knew I was an Aspie, I loved maps. There was something magical about going somewhere and knowing which roads lead to my destination. A map is concrete evidence that a route exists to connect points A to B and sometimes to C, D, and E. Imagine if life could give you a map of the highway to your best life. Still, there are also significant routes that could allow you to explore different avenues of interest, as well as streets that could allow you to sample the local culture/hobbies of an area. While a GPS can give you directions piece by piece, a map allows you to see the larger picture. It will enable you to plan more accurately to make significant decisions (the highway) or when to experience the more minor intricacies of life, such as friendships, culture, hobbies, and scenery (Parks and Recreation). Now streets are constantly undergoing construction, and new routes (Goals and dreams) are created to increase the efficiency of travel, so there are no perfect maps, just like life can hand you detours that you were not expecting, and you need to make the best decision to get back on track.
Now that I know I am an Aspie, I realize that my internal map kept giving me options but never told me when I would run into a dead end or a major life obstacle. This is when I would have loved having a BridgeBuilder in my life to help me comprehend the decisions so that while it might be a momentary roadblock, with a BridgeBuilder, better, more personalized alternate routes and advice can be received.
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For this exact reason, I have created this resource community of BridgeBuilders (highway guides) and Bridge Buddies (local tour guides) , who will serve up to an hour at a time for each Aspie individual who enrolls in the services, I will connect them to best "tour guide" in their needed area of assistance to help them find the information or social outlet needed to make the best choices that reflect the life they would love to live. Sometimes it's assistance in choosing the best choice, other times it is a game-plan to design a new physical system, and other times it is a sequenced list of how to accomplish a major task with minimal anxiety.
"What's in a name...?" -Shakespeare
The identifying label of Autistic Level 1 individuals has been battling a challenge of appropriate name for several years now. And each time there is a group of individuals who are offended by the offered terminology, I would like to offer a different angle. As Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet, the quoted line is not about a person but rather the personality represented by the name. I believe that there needs to be a change of perspective, not label. I personally like the title of "Aspie", perhaps you might too after reading this article.
Time to Change Perceptions
Waco, Texas, was known for the longest time as “that city with the Branch Davidians and brutal massacre.” Now with full respect for those who lived that experience or knew someone deeply involved, it can still stir some compelling and painful memories.” Of course, I am compassionate to all with these horrific memories.
Fixer Upper, a show that first aired on HGTV in 2013 by Chip and Joanna Gains, recreated the love and spirit of Waco when they started buying “dilapidated” homes for families and bringing them new love and life. Now Waco is back on the map with the love of a couple who gives their children great values while giving love to run-down homes that need TLC in their structures and decor.
Why compare Waco to the "Aspie" label?
Just like Waco had a very negative connotation but changed to humanitarian love, I believe it is time to change perceptions of the word “Aspie” from being associated with Hans Asperger, who was affiliated with the Nazis and concentration camps, to a more current idealism. When I think of an Aspie woman, I want to draw people’s minds to a superhero female (or male) who has some challenges to face, yes, but possesses great insight to see issues and problems in our communities before they show up to cause harm or destruction. We are very creative when we step away from our believed limited condition into our gifts to serve the humanitarian world post Pandemic.
