To be a warrior is to learn to be genuine in every moment of your life.
September 13, 2017
by Dr. Cynthia Norall
I’ve been told that many are wondering what I’ve been up to since October, 2016. Along with this comes wondering what is next (not really “retired”).
Time does heal and gives one incredible perspective. So here is my “what’s happening” page. I haven’t shared much about the incredible grief I experienced in closing CASE, Inc. My intention is not to share much here; you can only guess. However, I knew that despite the insurance issues we were having (claiming we owed them money rather than pay us) CASE, Inc. had become something I didn’t want. CASE was not a good place for people with ASD to work at. Our clients continued to get genuine care. Our employees not so much.
At some point I was sitting in my office and I realized that I could not provide what I wanted to as an employer. It was out of my hands. In the past 11 months I’ve realized that the quote “you are only given what you can handle” is true. And I’d handled a LOT. Through therapy I’ve come to have more compassion for myself. But through Mindfulness I’ve actually learned to take each day as a gift. Each day that I wake up I have control over what I am going to do and how I am going to do it. And so, my new adventure begins. I am going to work to ensure that those with ASD are not just employed but empowered and appreciated in that process.
I’m working on book #2 Quirky@Work that has been submitted to a publisher via a book proposal. I continue to work with Beth Brust, who helped me with Quirky Yes, Hopeless No. Beth is an incredible writer and has the right hopeful and realistic voice for the project.
In addition I’ve started a new consulting/advocacy company: TRIO Consultants. CASE, Inc. and Friends Club® were “cutting edge” for autism services but TRIO takes it up a notch. We will be empowering families to imagine their son/daughter to achieve beyond what others will believe that they can achieve. Our model (like that of Friends Club® as a model for social skills groups) will trail-blaze the way to services for young adults to become “participating members” in their community and I look forward to hearing about how they contribute to society as a whole.
To be a small piece of that will truly take me into my next adventure.
Aloha!
