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The World as I Know It- Chapter 2
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Prose/Short Stories Chapter 2
I’ve accepted that my life is mediocre. I don’t expect anything more. In fact, since I was diagnosed, they’ve discovered that change for me is like a poison that kills me slowly.
But let’s start from the beginning. Before any of this disease stuff happened.
My infanthood was, I imagine, similar to that of another child growing up at the time. The 90’s were just about to begin. The decade where it seems everyone matured exponentially compared to times past.
But in small towns, people rarely conform to new trends and lifestyles. Life always moves a little slower, and we never get caught up to the rest of the modern world.
As a child, I was a slow learner. I didn’t start walking until much after my sister and most other toddlers. But more notably, I didn’t start speaking until I was 2 and a half. And that’s why my parents were worried about me. Why they took me to countless medical doctors and psychologists to find what was wrong with me.
I hate that phrase: what was wrong with me as if everyone else has no quirks, no kinks. We have our own differences. If only, we accepted those differences instead of trying to prescribe a diagnosis.
When I started kindergarten, I had a very hard time making friends. Another red flag. Forget the fact that it took me twice as long as the average student to take tests and complete homework.
My teachers ended up being the only ones I spoke to because you know how kids are. They aren’t quite politically correct.
After my diagnosis, nothing really changed. Well, that was the idea, I suppose. By then, I was in first grade. The doctors recommended my parents not treat me any differently so it wouldn’t cause any problems. To this day, I don’t know what they meant by that. What else could go wrong?
