Social Situations – Trivialities & Intricacies

Here we have yet another unbecoming truth about me: I’m a klutz. Not every day, but quite often I bump into furniture or door frames. How dare they get in my way, right? The same applies to my dropping things. Don’t hand me an item of value, if you want it to last for a long time. I may have a klutzy day and drop it – not intentionally, of course. Likewise, I fall up the stairs, because I missed a step, spill liquids, and pour too much into a cup or glass. That’s me, all of it. Regrettably, my fine motor skills aren’t the greatest, so that’s not helpful either. It gets nice and awkward, when I’m going for a walk and trip over my own feet. Luckily most often, no one sees me.
Unfortunately, my klutzy moments are worse when I’m in social situations, especially around people I don’t know or like. Yep, klutzy beyond repair. And there’s no way to put a positive or charming spin on it. 😊

To begin with it is important to mention, that every autistic person has their individual set of challenges. If I understand correctly, however, quite a few of them imitate reactions and behaviors they see displayed by their peers, in an effort to learn. Count me in. Now some folks may label this as “seriously creepy conduct”. If you are one of them, do tell me how you would learn how to fit in with regard to social situations? What would be your strategy instead?
Since childhood, I’ve been watching people closely, without ever knowing, that doing so is not “standard practice”. My parents prepared me for life to the best of their abilities, always wondering about certain behaviors and reactions. I am not sure, how well known autism was in the 70’s, but no one ever thought to “shove me into that drawer” back then. Was this a blessing or a curse? In hindsight, life might have been easier in more ways than one, if I could have had therapy or some form of training to help me learn, what neurotypicals “just know”, or understand without effort. Especially social situations were an overwhelming mystery to me. And I started watching and imitating behaviors of others. Everything I learned was “filed away for future reference”, whenever needed and “hopefully” appropriate. To this day, I watch and imitate other people. Fortunately, I’m at that point in my life now [that old age], that I can judge unavoidable social situations better, and how to react properly. The stored away behaviors I choose to utilize, will now have my own spin and personality added. But it was a long way of getting there.