I realised this afternoon: 2026 will be the first calendar year I will be able to live fully as my true #ActuallyAutistic self.Being over 55, this feels like a bit of a “thing”.This means *not* questioning or “adjusting” how my brain processes things.This means *not* hiding the fact that I am an autist.This means, in a way I have *never* done before, accepting myself as myself and not feeling I need to compromise that.For 50+ years, I have moulded myself to others’ expectations. I’m not going to claim they were all malicious in their desire to shape me to something other than I was.But correspondingly, malice is not the only way such attempts or intentions cause damage.I want to heal, and sometimes that will mean removing myself from relationships which have caused me damage, whether intended or not.Viva me, I guess.#HappyNewYear