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NaokiHigashida

@higashidanaoki2

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Author of "The Reason I Jump" "Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8" and more. Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia.I write my tweets in Japanese, then have them translated.

https://t.co/OrmWzCymYL
Joined August 2022
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Hello. My name is Naoki Higashida. I am a Japanese autistic writer and the author of "The Reason I Jump". To celebrate turning 30, I want to start an English language Twitter account. My hope is that I can help improve understanding of people with autism. Thank you.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Thank you for all the warm comments and retweets. I'm very happy and I was also surprised. I apologize for not being able to tweet very quickly, as I have other people helping me with the translation. I will start tweeting little by little about my daily life and how I feel.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
10 months
Today is my birthday. I turned 31 years old.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
The scenery from high up in the Ferris wheel seems unreal. I give thanks for this small chance to escape from reality, and take a moment to gather my feelings. #NaokiHigashida #Autism
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
10 months
I published a book in Japan today. I am very happy.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
I look up at the sky and remember you. I remember you and look up at the sky. It doesn’t matter which comes first. No matter which comes first, you and I are connected by the sky.
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NaokiHigashida
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2 years
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NaokiHigashida
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1 year
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Halloween is approaching. I bought this toy at a 100 yen store.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Busy days are the days when you need to take deep breaths. Don’t just focus on the pebbles beneath your feet. Look at the sun rising beyond the path. Let’s hope tomorrow can be a good day.
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
I am autistic and sometimes I write letters in the air with my index finger or on the table. The words I write are words that come into my head. They are not words I have chosen. It is as if the words are asking me to write them. When I write, the words disappear from my mind.
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
People who don't feel lonely by themselves, I think aren’t alone at all. When I became an adult, I learned there are some ways of living that can only be experienced when you're alone.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
I like the word “boutsuki no ame” (stick of candy), and play word games with it often. Maybe I'll replace “candy” with “rain,” since both are “ame” in Japanese. But I don't know what a “stick of rain” would be, so my brain is confused for a second. That second is kind of fun.
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Everyone imagines what's going on in somebody else’s mind. When you think too much about someone else’s mind because they have a disability, you have to imagine a whole lot more. Only they know what they’re really feeling anyway, so I think it's best to keep things simple.
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NaokiHigashida
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2 years
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
When night ends, morning comes. When sorrow passes, joy is waiting. I believe this, and wait for time to pass. It’s not the most proactive way to live, but it works for me.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
8 months
It took me a long time to be able to think that I am me, even if I am disgusting. I have to accept myself for who I am. It sounds easy, but it's hard. It's something you can do right now, but it may take you a lifetime to do it.
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NaokiHigashida
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2 years
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
I think a lot of people are seeking a place of peace for their mind. I look at old photos of the past to relax. I think back to the things I saw then, and praise my old self for working so hard. It makes me feel better.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Hearing “You can do it!” makes you feel better when you’ve still got the will to keep trying. When you're worried you can’t do it at all, even encouragement just makes it worse. Maybe whether you should encourage or just watch depends mostly on how the person is feeling.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Every person is different. They're a different person than you, and worthy of respect.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
5 months
Merry Christmas
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
10 months
こんばんは、作家の東田直樹です。新刊「自閉症が30歳の僕に教えてくれたこと」の見本が届きました。もしも、１３歳の僕に、この本を届けることができたなら「30歳の僕は応援してくださっている人たちのおかげで本を出版できたよ」と教えてあげたいです。
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Title: "The Flowers Are Watching"
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
This is a picture of me when I was little.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
I spend my days hoping not that every day will be wonderful, but that every day will be peaceful.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
When music makes you cry, I think that’s something different than sympathy. It’s because even though the lyrics are the words of the person who wrote the song, they seem like they’re the words of your heart. I think music is incredibly powerful. #NaokiHigashida #Autism
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day. I hope that many people will become aware of the disorder of autism.
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
I cleaned today.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
8 months
Some people tell me that they don't know how to treat people with disabilities. For me, just a kind look or a smile can make me feel as happy as if I had drawn 'great luck' on a fortune.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Title: "Words from the Heart"
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
11 months
Hydrangea and me
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
As an autistic person, even though the temperature is low and I'm shivering, I have a hard time being aware of how cold I am. I realize that my discomfort was caused by the cold when someone says to me, "Aren't you cold?" I realize that the cause of my discomfort is cold.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
On windy days, if I close my eyes and listen, it sounds like crying. Why not laughing, I wonder? When I ask myself that, the door opens to the sadness locked deep in my heart. I say, “I'm okay,” and close the door. Wind, please take my sadness away from me.
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
“I remember it when the rain falls,” is usually used for sad memories. Maybe because rain is kind of like tears? At times like that, I don't look up at the sky. I listen to the sounds of the rain. The rain says, “It’s okay. You're you and no one else.” It makes me feel better.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
I failed just a little, and cried just a little. I succeeded just a little, and laughed just a little. I'm alive again today. And this afternoon, I feel like saying hello to even the birds above my head.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Morning comes, night comes, and morning comes again. Again and again. I give thanks to each normal day, and I'm relieved when a day ends with nothing happening. Even if nothing special happened, I was still healthy the whole day. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
If you were to ask me, "What is the best thing about being autistic?" I would answer, "The feeling of being one with nature. When I forget that I am a person, everything seems like the distant past, and my heart is filled with happiness.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
In Japan, people eat mochi during the New Year. I ate 15 pieces myself. The picture below is a baked mochi. I like to eat it with sugar and soy sauce.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
For me, as an autistic person, my obsession is not so much what I want to do, but what I can't stop doing at will. So when my brain decides that I'm done with it, one day I just stop doing it.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
There are times when people say, "Even with autism," and other times when they say, "Because of autism." Autism may be one cause, but I do not think it is the whole reason. Please remember that the person is a human being with the disorder of autism.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Let’s walk slowly down the path in front of us, in freedom. Even if it doesn’t go how we want, even if we’re alone, let's walk slowly. Have fun, be happy, and even if you stumble or fall, cry out your name, so the people you love can hear it.
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
7 months
daikon radishes
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
I am rooting for Japan!
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
6 months
When you see an autistic person who cannot speak, you understand that it must be crippling. Every day that you have to keep listening to people is quite stressful. I hope that before you try to know what they are trying to say, you will also realize how hard it is.
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
5 months
It is a blessing to have someone care about you. I think the saddest thing is to be treated as if you don't exist.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
It makes me happy to hear a dog bark. “Woof! Woof!” I don’t just think it’s cute. I try to figure out what the dog’s saying. I don’t know what dogs feel. But each time, I think about it.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
I know that among autistic people, the words they want to say are not the same as the words they can use to speak.
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
As an autistic person, I jump up and down just when images of the past pop into my head. It's because my body reacts. I can't stay still as the emotions of those days come back to me. I cannot stop the memories from automatically replaying.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
My heart is covered with gray clouds. On days like that, I hold up my hand to block the rain. Each drop of rain pours into my heart. “It's okay. You're okay.” “It’s okay, I'm okay.” Because tomorrow the skies will be clear.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Some words you read stay with you. Maybe it's not the meaning, but the rhythm of the text, or its beauty. I think it's like music. Maybe literature, music, and art are what keeps us going in life.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
favorite saying
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Until a moment ago, I was crying. Until a moment ago, I was angry. Until a moment ago, I was frustrated. But that's all part of the past. Thinking that way makes me feel just a little bit better.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
My heart’s a little heavy on cloudy days. There are clear days, and also rainy days. Of course, cloudy days too. I just want someone to catch the feelings overflowing in my heart. The sky? No, someone.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
As an autistic person, when I do nothing, people sometimes worry that I am getting bored. I enjoy my time of boredom, because boredom is a luxury.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Until a moment ago, I was crying. Until a moment ago, I was angry. Until a moment ago, I was frustrated. But that's all part of the past. Thinking that way makes me feel just a little bit better.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Sometimes you learn from other’s opinions that there are worlds you don't know. When I realize how small my world is, it makes me a little scared, but also more sensitive to the kindness of others. I think when people know they’re not alone, they get stronger.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
It’s hard to always be positive. Everybody has ups and downs, but instead of forcing yourself to keep trying, sometimes it's better to take a rest. Maybe it’s important to have your own way to relax.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
May in Japan is a beautiful green month.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
6 months
When I stay still, I am sometimes told that I am calm. But I think that is a little different from the state of feeling stable, just because you have stopped moving. Sometimes I feel stable even when I am moving around. The state of mind is not easy to tell.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
Under the cherry trees in full bloom
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
Some autistic people do not have the same "words to say" and "words available for speaking". Please do not make assumptions about a person's abilities or even personality based solely on the words they can use.
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
I was a speaker at the online lecture.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
I don't like to have a lot of different things mixed together in my mouth, so I eat white rice alone and then finish each type of side dish in turn. You may think that is strange, but I like it that way.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
When a person with autism is severely confused, they may not listen to anything you say. Even if people around you try to calm him or her down, it may have the opposite effect. In such cases, please watch quietly.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Your emotions are what you feel. They’re yours alone, and you can’t compare them to anybody else’s. You’ll always have them.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
I look at videos of dominos a lot. Watching the big sets they build is a lot of fun. The dominos don’t just fall, they sometimes fly, or go upwards. When I see that, I can’t take my eyes off them. “Momentary beauty,” you can call it. #NaokiHigashida #Autism
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
8 months
For me, the changing seasons are like turning the pages of a picture book. The moment I see a dragonfly or a leaf turning yellow or brown, my mind changes to an 'autumn' scene. Once I have put the summer scenes in my memory drawer, autumn has begun.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
With my eyes, I chase after the birds as they fly away. It's hard to catch them. The clouds hid them. I blinked ‘cause my eyes were dry. And when I opened them up, a crescent moon was looking at me.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
Cherry blossoms are in bloom.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
As an autistic person, I watch the same DVDs over and over again. I feel that my favorite DVDs are not that different in how I feel about them the first time I watch them or the 100th time I watch them. The obsession in this case is an unusual obsession.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone regrets them.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
7 months
HappyHalloween
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
People say, "You must be lonely when you are alone," but I think the real loneliness is to be lonely even when you are with someone else.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
People who follow their own path no matter what are strong. People who use the hardships they encounter as a chance to walk a different path are flexible. And people who stop for a moment are careful.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
A lot of people want to live a simple life. But how about a slow life, instead of a simple one? How living life relaxed? Imagine different kinds of lives, and whichever seems to fit best may be the life that's best for you.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Humans are small, the world is big, and the universe is huge. Humans know nothing about the universe. We may think we do, but we don't know anything about the real universe yet.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
As an autistic person, I sometimes write words that pop into my head with my index finger in the air or on the table. The reason is that the word asks me to write it. If I write it, the word disappears from my mind.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
You're the hero of your own life, but sometimes an extra, or a villain, in another’s. The story’s climax is a long ways away. Just worry about the story where you're the hero.
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NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
Smile!
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
I forgot what happened yesterday. I’m not worried about what happens tomorrow. All I need is for today to be good. ‘cause yesterday will become today, and today will become tomorrow. When things are hard, that’s all you need.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
As an autistic person, I like word games. My favorite now is: Me: “Honey pen.” Them: “It’s a chocolate pen.” If they laugh and ask why I said honey pen, it makes me happy somehow. And if they start to wonder if there is such thing as a honey pen, it makes me feel good.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
On clear days, I do a big stretch. See how I'm a little taller? See how I'm a little closer to the sun? I can still keep growing up.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
8 months
Even if I can't boast about it to anyone, even if it's not a disgraceful thing, I will see this day through. I think that's my role.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Sometimes you learn from other’s opinions that there are worlds you don't know. When I realize how small my world is, it makes me a little scared, but also more sensitive to the kindness of others. I think when people know they’re not alone, they get stronger.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
Let's do our best. Do all you can, for your tomorrow’s self, and for tomorrow’s someone else.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
I like to look at flyers and other text from an angle. When I lean the flyer close to my eyes, the letters change like shapes. I think people usually think of letters as something to be read, but for me, as an autistic person, letters are something to play with.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
If you keep staring at one point, you’ll never see what’s going on around you. Stop and look around you, and you’ll see all kinds of things. And maybe once you realize how small the world you were looking at was, your perspective will broaden on its own.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
I ate bread for lunch. There are a variety of breads, but my favorite bread is a pork cutlet sandwich.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
I am autistic and cannot look the way other people point when they say "look at that". My eyes always try to see only what I want to see. My brain reacts to what I see, making me laugh or make me sad.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
Thank you always, mother.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
1 year
When I want to cover my ears with my index finger is when I hear a noise I don't like and when I want to concentrate. The advantage is that I can easily adjust the volume with my finger.
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@higashidanaoki2
NaokiHigashida
@higashidanaoki2
2 years
I watch the same video or movie over and over because there is a scene that interests me. When my brain recognizes that the timing of the music and sound matches the movements of the characters, I want to watch it again and again.
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