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You’re autistic! The words I’ve been waiting to hear for over thirty-one years. To have my whole existence validated and understood. Finally!

Today I had my official autism assessment. And I cried. It was a huge relief. It’s been a long journey to get to this moment. Just hearing the words “yes, you’re autistic” felt like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I finally felt heard. And that’s a powerful thing!

Every year, I write a blog post on the night before my birthday, reflecting on the year that has passed. It’s a wonderful way to look back on my life and see how much has changed, how much I have changed.

Being thirty has been a wonderful experience. I remember spending a lot of time in my twenties worrying about reaching the start of this decade. I had the preconceived idea that being in my thirties meant the end of my youth or that I was running out of time to create the life I wanted for myself. But it has felt like the opposite of that for me. My thirties feel like a resurgence. Like I am finally becoming more comfortable with who I am.

Tomorrow is my 30th birthday.

Every year, on the night before my birthday, I write a post about my year. I’ve been doing this for ten years now. I write and reflect on my life and it’s a tradition that has stayed with me since I started this blog during my time at university. In preparing for this post, I read the last few entries for twenty-seven, twenty-eight and twenty-nine and I marvel at how my life has been shaped into this beautiful new story, with new characters, new opportunities and new twists and turns. That is all we really are. Stories. I am going to continue to tell mine because words are my legacy, every word I put down is something to leave behind, long after I’m gone. But I’m not going anywhere. I feel like I am only getting started.