Porcupines

There are people in this world with prickly personalities who I like to think of as "porcupines". When not agitated, they can seem like cute, cuddly animals--they have the ability to behave politely and nicely--but can suddenly shoot sharp quills at you if you say something the wrong way or if they are in a certain mood. You can never relax around them. (For a wonderful book on how to deal with people like this, see How to Hug a Porcupine by John Lund.)

My autistic son started being a porcupine in the Fall of 2009. He would hit himself really intensely or hit me with his head if something triggered him. I could never really relax around him. In the Fall of 2012 he started noticeably improving until he is now averaging one short behavior or less per day, and he gets over it really quickly. One attempt per day is worlds better than one every twenty minutes, and he is just HAPPIER. I'm still really careful about not triggering him and I keep his karate helmet and wraps handy just in case, but things are SO much better.

This morning on the way to church, I thought about porcupine-people and was visualizing porcupine-animals and realized that my son is still a porcupine, but he only has one quill! I can easily deal with one quill, get over it, and not worry about it. God knows that I think in pictures, and visualizing my son as a porcupine with only one quill allows me to breathe, and relax.

I am so grateful for the goodness of God to lead me to expert advice and drops and drops of essential oils, to de-quill my porcupine and show me that he has been de-quilled.