It’s been a rough day, but that’s nothing new. On days like today, it’s not always easy to focus on the positive. Having said that, I’m really pushing myself to do this on a daily basis because it’s important.

There a quite a few things that caused a shit-ton of stress and anxiety, but there’s always something that can be viewed as a victory. Sometimes I need to look harder than others but there’s always something.

Today’s victory is going to go to Mr. Gavin. He’s really struggling with life right now, and so I feel it’s very important not to overlook the positives when they come around. This particular victory might not seem like much on the surface but if you’re an Autism parent, I suspect you’ll understand.

I’ve mentioned many times that the boys and I play Minecraft together. What I don’t think I mentioned was that Gavin has been refusing to play for months. He keeps saying that he’s put Minecraft behind him. I’m not sure what that’s all about but he hasn’t budged on that in months.

Anyway, I’m always inviting him to join us because it’s nice to work on our realm together. The boys can get carried away and Gavin is always very serious. Frankly, it’s a nice balance.

A couple days ago, Gavin finally agreed to reinstall Minecraft on his tablet and rejoin the realm. He said it was a one-time thing and I accepted that.

Tonight, however, Gavin asked if there was anything I needed him to do before bed. He always asks cause he’s looking for chores to do. I jokingly said, hey, you can work with me in the realm for a little while. I didn’t expect him to actually do that, but he did, and we worked together on a project I’ve been working on. It was really nice to connect with him like that. It didn’t last very long but it was fun.

I consider this a victory because Gavin was willing to do something he’s been against doing (for some unknown reason) and we had fun. Gavin tends to be very, very rigid and doesn’t like change. He stepped outside of his current comfort zone and made it so we could play a game together.

That’s something I’m incredibly grateful for. 🙂👍