What defines your autism?

"What defines my autism?"

My inability to recognise irony --- a large part of British humour, my inability to take myself and life itself less seriously.  My inability to decode and respond to interactive signals. I struggle with empathy yet "ironically" am tuned into the wants and needs of my dog and with animals in general. I put that down to having developed my own people auto-filter if I detect rejection of any sort. (Very self-defeating)

Good morning chap.  I do consider my ability to communicate with animals one of my super powers.  I much prefer the company of a dog to that of a human.  I prefer to meet a random horse or cow on a walk rather than a fellow human because I can understand the former species (and vise versa) more reliably and with greater reciprocal benefit in 9/10 cases.

Unlike you, irony poses no challenge to me......but decoding and APPROPRIATELY responding to interactive signals is, and always has been, a fraught issue for me.  I struggle with the fact that honesty and directness is invariably frowned up.

Perhaps I should move to the Big Apple (and yes, I'm being ironic!)

Good morning, I echo your take with a preference for the company of animals.  Despite your irony NYC is probably the worst move you could make. The majority of people there --to my experience--put on a facade.  It's an unforgiving city that one needs fortitude and courage to take a first bite, as it will bite back. It is a "black hole" city with a huge pull for ambitious people who gravitate to it, most of whom let nothing stand in their way.  It's certainly not a place for wimps.

Good morning, I echo your take with a preference for the company of animals.  Despite your irony NYC is probably the worst move you could make. The majority of people there --to my experience--put on a facade.  It's an unforgiving city that one needs fortitude and courage to take a first bite, as it will bite back. It is a "black hole" city with a huge pull for ambitious people who gravitate to it, most of whom let nothing stand in their way.  It's certainly not a place for wimps.

Life really had some twists and turns for me. I can remember in my youth on my return to NYC after a four-year absence serving overseas in the Air Force how lucky I initially felt to be back again. No place like home, but something was different.  Maybe it was me who changed but something wasn't quite right. Memories of my inward thinking ---"there is nowhere else I would rather be" --- were banished.  I then understood why my older brother chose to leave the city for his work-related travels and never to return. I believe he too was an aspie but unlike myself he recognised marriage was not compatible for him and remained a bachelor. I'm waffling off-piste which brings me back to the point of how some past radical choices had such a dramatic effect on my life.

Indeed.  I did have the privilege to visit NYC when I was flying high like Sinatra.  I loved it, but within the context of a lived experience, rather than feeling it was my kinda place.