I have a love/hate relationship with these kinds of days.

Valentine's Day, Autism Awareness Day, National Coming Out Day – these are all specific days to celebrate and bring awareness to certain parts of human life: love, Autism and the courage to disclose your sexual orientation, respectively.

I appreciate these days, for sure. It makes me happy to see that people are willing to learn about different ways people live, the ways they function on a day to day basis and appreciate the people who maybe live their lives a little differently than other people. As someone with Asperger's syndrome, I appreciate Autism Awareness Day because people learn about Autism and are exposed to some of the struggles and beauties of living with this condition. It also makes me feel more confident about having Asperger's. I appreciate people being willing to learn and being open-minded on these days.

Although I have "outgrown" many of the characteristics of Asperger's, there are still some that linger, and I still identify with the struggles many people with it face. I remember the days of being in daycare, having no idea how to approach other kids and talk to them, having no idea how to interpret facial expressions and tones of voice. It felt like I was in a bubble in my own little world, and the rules of the world just didn't make sense to me. I didn't know if I was doing something wrong, or that there was even anything wrong at all.

In sixth grade, I was finally made aware of my condition. The relief of finally finding out why I acted the way I did was the best feeling in the world at the time. I used to embrace the idea that Asperger's was the answer to everything I did, and it eventually became an excuse, until I realized it wasn't the only thing that made me who I am at all. It was naturally a part of me, just like so many other things in my life. It was only one of many things that make up the person I am.

Explaining this to my friends is always interesting. I like to talk about it, not because I like to talk about myself, but because I think it helps people better understand that, sometimes, people can't help the things they do. Is it an excuse? No, but it is a way to provide insight into someone's head.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that although I appreciate days like Autism Awareness Day, my ultimate hope for the world is we take this behavior of wanting to appreciate those who are different and doing it every day of our lives. It shouldn't take a special day to remember how much we love those we may know who have Autism, and it shouldn't take a special day to learn about it and help those with it. Just like Valentine's Day, we should show our love every single day, not just one day out of the year.

Regardless of those feelings, I am so thankful Autism Awareness Day exists. Even if it does take a special day to raise awareness, at least awareness is being raised at all.