@lisalucier It seems I have always marched to a different drummer. If the school system, and my parents, would have allowed me to be who I ultimately am, things would have been easier. I was a challenge to keep amused and educated, because I learned quickly and absorbed complex ideas. But growing up in the 50s and 60s, there was no support for children like me. I refused to follow set patterns and was known as "wierd". My senses are highly tuned, noises/lights/ textures/etc. put me into overload, and do to this day. I can honestly say that there might have been only a few adults who saw my potential as a youngster, but could not support me. I learned to sequester myself, and sought out that which interested me, in spite of jumping over stereotypical barriers.
In today's educational and social setting, I like to think my gifts would have been celebrated by placement into programs that didn't exist then. I think it would have made a world of difference.
Ginger