Blog #11: Love is possible
Ladies and gentlemen of the autistic and handicapped communities please read. This blog entry will offer up a message of hope for everyone out there. Love is possible though it may not seem that way. With all the bad behavior on the Internet it can leave a person feeling cynical and depressed. Despite all that it is possible to find someone in this crazy day and age.
To be fair it’s hard these days to find someone. With all the modern technology and all the external stimuli, it can be hard to concentrate. But with a little focus and discipline one can find someone. That said let’s look at places where one shouldn’t seek to find someone for a long-term relationship. Please avoid these two places at all costs.
The first place to avoid is a bar. Bars are usually where people go to wash away their woes or get drunk. Yeah, bad things can happen when one gets too inebriated. So, I would avoid bars or places like that. That even goes for the high-class bars, best to avoid such places.
Another something to avoid would be dating apps. The trouble with dating apps is they are an example of what’s called hook-up culture. And when it comes to long-term relationships dating apps are not for everyone. They’re usually for those trying to hook up for a one-night fling. Again, not a good place to look for a long-term relationship for the most part.
Now that said where to look should be according to a person’s personal values or even their interests. As for values a church group meet-up or social group is always a good idea. Such places have like-minded people. Shad Brooks of Shadiversity and Knights Watch is a good example of this. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
They're better known to many as the Mormons. He met his wife as part of a church group. That’s one way to meet that special someone. Shared values can lead to friendship and something more.
But to be fair many people out there aren’t the religious types. And that’s okay, one doesn’t need to be part of a church group to find that significant other. There are many other places to meet that special someone.
A good example could be a hobby that someone has. That’s a great place to meet friends and that special someone. If one likes to do hiking, travelling, or even writing it’s possible to meet someone there. One of the best examples of a great place to meet that special someone is at a convention. In this case a fan convention is a great place.
At fan conventions a person can meet all kinds of cool people. Here are a couple of good examples of love blossoming at a fan convention. Robyn from the YouTube group Anime America is the first example. She met her husband at an anime convention. In such a casual atmosphere people let their hair down and it’s possible to get to know someone there.
This may seem a bit egotistical, but my girlfriend and I are another example. In our case it was a little bit of both hobbies and conventions. Peach Wookiee as she's called on the internet and I first met on a site called Fanfiction.net. I read some of her work on that site and I thought she was a pretty good writer. I’d already had some experience in writing and decided to offer up some tips and feedback on her work.
That was back in the early 2000’s. Over the course of the next several years we got to talking. And Peach went through some serious family issues in her life. Likewise, she was there for me when I went through some rough patches. Being there for a friend and helping to give them comfort in their darkest hour that’s kind of what drew me to her.
In 2017 we met face-to-face at the convention Sakura-Con. Joining us was a good friend from online Agent of the Divine One. We hung out and Peach and I enjoyed each other’s
company. So much so that the Saturday of Sakura-Con I decided that since she was there, I’d do something with her. We attended a panel for voice actress Caitlin Glass.
Peach enjoyed it a lot since she’s a huge Ouran High School Host Club fan.
Afterward things started changing between us. A mutual friend of ours named Aki kidded around with me about it. I admit that when it comes to women, I’m no Casanova. In fact, I’ve always been rather the shy guy. But with Peach her personality and content of character drew me in.
In 2018 we attended the Masquerade Ball at Sakura-Con. I’d been planning to take her out to dinner and tell her my feelings. But the music and the vibe of the ball were perfect. So, I ended up telling her the truth of how I felt. Sometimes one must take a risk in matters of the heart.
On a side note, I learned something important. Women appreciate men who are open and honest with them. They also do appreciate men who are willing to take the initiative on such matters. Fortune does favor the bold and, in my case, I chose to tell Peach how I felt. In fairness I half expected her to turn me down.
Peach has always been someone who could have any guy because of her personality. At least that's the way I see her.
I told her how I felt and said if she didn’t feel the same way to please go ahead and let me know and I’d understand. What I didn’t expect was for her to accept my feelings. It was quite the surprise but a very pleasing surprise. In all honesty I’d half expected that she would turn me down.
That said when Peach and I started our relationship we did so as adults who had our own beliefs. In any relationship there must be that mutual respect between the people involved. Mutual respect involves respecting each other’s boundaries and listening to each other.
To be fair Peach and I don’t always agree om everything. But we respect each other and don’t try and force our beliefs down one another’s’ throats. But we have a lot in common we love Star Wars, Star Trek, anime, and we both do a lot of writing. Though with Peach she hasn’t been doing that much writing as of late because of her job as a preschool teacher. But that’s fine she’ll get full support from me when she does get back into her fan fiction.
Another thing about Peach is she also has Asperger’s like me. Because of which people with our condition tend to be in the same bubble. Aspies flock together. And Peach has been one of the best things that’s happened to me. She has said things that make me scratch my head but to be fair I imagine I do much the same to her too.
This part of the article is for those who aren't handicapped or autistic but have someone who is. These are some tips for handling a relationship with one in said categories. First off there are certain things that handicapped people realize they can’t do. A person with 20/20 vision can help a blind person or near blind person. For someone who is deaf or has low hearing a person with normal hearing can help like this.
Learn sign language or speak in a way that the deaf person can read lips. In the case of a person in a wheelchair a normal person can help push them around as needed. For an autistic person there needs to be a special kind of patience. Autistic people especially when tired have things fly over their head. It can be rather a nightmare for certain.
When an autistic person experiences something new remember this. It never hurts to be there to help coax and guide them through things. This is especially true if it's something to the benefit of said person. Autistic people like to be independent that's true. But we do appreciate someone who’ll help us figure things out so we can do it ourselves.
Handicapped and autistic people appreciate a wife or husband who helps like that. It might not seem like it, but they have big hearts. They will reach out and cherish someone who they trust to help with things. Patience is the key to success.
Communication, trust, and respect those are key elements to a relationship. For handicapped and autistic people, it’s even more important. Now to be fair things don’t always work out. Sometimes people drift apart, sometimes things happen that get in the way. Life can be hard like that, but love is still possible so never give up on it.
Thanks for reading this blog entry/essay. Let me know your thoughts in the comments on whether you found this helpful or not. Also, if you’re handicapped, autistic, or are in a romance with one please tell your story. Let’s show the world that there’s love out there for everyone regardless of who they are.
Check out my commentaries, reviews, and agenda free fiction at the Animeman73 Library. You can also subscribe to me for free, and follow me for free on Minds, X, Gab, and MeWe.
Would you like to support my work even more? There are many ways you can do so. You can wire off-chain tokens to me on Minds. You can give Off-chain tokens or a Monetary contribution via a Minds Superchat. You can give a one-time donation to my PayPal Tip Jar.
Or you can become a monthly Patron on Minds and/or Subscribestar. Please only give what you can afford. I’ll leave links below to the various platforms I’m on.
Thank you for reading this month’s blog/essay. Enjoy Valentine's Day and see you in the spring. Until then this is Animeman73 signing off. Stay true to yourselves, stay classy, and God bless you all. See you later everyone.
Links:
Follow me here:
Support me here:
Previous: Blog Entry 10: Patron Tiers elaborated