It’s my Birthday and other Wonderful News

I’ve had the most wonderful birthday I’ve had since I was 8.

Wow. I LOVED my birthday as a little kid. There was chocolate, friends, adventures, gifts, and cake. My parents created the most wonderful parties imaginable! Games, handmade Woman’s Weekly style decorated cakes, bonfires, crafts, it was frankly the most wonderful day of the year for me. As I got older and my friendships collapsed, my birthday parties remained so coveted that even kids who actively disliked me would turn up and be nice to me for the day.

Fast forward to my teens and the memorable 16th where only 2 kids attended and neither of them knew me, and you have the foundation of the next 20 years where I’ve been a suicidal depressed mess this time of year, often for weeks or even months.

Not today. Today, in the middle of a damn pandemic, owing thousands of dollars to my staff, and having suffered the most intense and exhausting few weeks trying to keep Jay alive… today I’m happy.

I’m Autistic!

I have a diagnosis of Autism largely to thank for that. It’s been life changing good news, opening my world up to patterns and knowledge and workarounds for so much confusing suffering and incapacities. I’ll unpack that more another time, and I know a lot of folks will find it confusing that I’m celebrating this news instead of sad. But for all the folks who get it, especially the sheer liberation of a late diagnosis after years in the dark… WHOOOOO HOOOO it finally makes sense! I’ve spent 4 weeks discovering the sheer peace and joy of weighted blankets, noise cancelling headphones, extremely hot baths, avoiding fridge cold foods, and not having to have hair. 1,000 times a day I make discoveries and undo years of conditioning and fear to find who we are and what we need to function.

Image description, headshot of Sarah smiling straight at the camera with dark green trees behind. They have a shaved head and are wearing bright purple lipstick covered in silver holographic glitter and look happy.

Including how to make birthdays wonderful – such as not having to be scared of all the thoughtful gifts because I know I go blank and don’t communicate appreciation, but no matter how hard I try I have not been able to change that! All that self knowledge buried by socialisation and fear of screwing up my friendships is now unlocking and I’m full of fierce joy.

If you want to give me something this year for my birthday – share my Stand with Jay campaign, or give me an etsy giftcard, or tell me something I’ve said or done or created that has made a difference to you. You don’t have to do any of those, I’m just happy to have you in my life.

Rose has her own house!

In the middle of a pandemic is a difficult time to be allocated a public housing unit, but what can you do? She now lives a few minutes away in a beautiful little place and the breathing room for so many different trauma and sensory and work needs has taken the stress off us and left us giddy in love. In fact…

We’re getting married!

A quarantine wedding! Perfect for the mad social creature that I am who can’t bear for anyone to be left out, and the sweet introvert that is Rose who feels uncomfortable in any group larger than 8. We’re working through the details now and hoping for June. ❤

The small issue of my work life currently not only not paying, but plunging me into the largest debt of my life temporarily put a dampener on the plans for my wages… but we’ve found a wonderful option for a low cost quarantine wedding that looks like it suits us perfectly and should be able to do the entire thing for $3,000, or if we really have to cut the budget, down to $400. (no photos, pretty clothes, etc, so I hope not)

I’m in horrible debt

I owe over $10,000 in wages (still calculating the overtime), plus the tax, super, work cover, insurance, meals, and other business costs such as mental health supervision, HR, my office manager (no one in their right mind wants me calculating the payroll with my math disability). NDIS weren’t going to pay us, then were, then decided not to again. It’s a huge mess and some pretty serious allegations are flying around about me… however all my choices and actions have been documented and I’m an open book and welcome the coming investigations, in fact I’ve done my best to initiate every investigation possible!

So I’m looking into loans to pay my staff, pay back loans from friends who offered money to cover us during the small exciting window when NDIS assured us they would pay us, and pay myself at least enough to buy a more comfortable office chair and get married. I’m sure things will come out clean in the wash but we’ve all got to eat in the mean time and frankly start paying rent again.

Jay is still alive

Between the bloody public health system, NDIS, and the pandemic, all the staff who were supporting Jay have been stood down – there’s no pay and no insurance. Jay is stuck in bed in the house and it’s horrible, but we’re with them online and the neighbour who found them in the first place is helping. Tomorrow we start again trying to get actual decent care set up. But having them alive and being able to take a day off has been a pretty fantastic birthday present. 🙂