Naked Mole Rat…

“A naked mole rat won the beauty contest at this point.” -Amanda

Yep, that’s Amanda’s creativity for ya! Hilarious and fascinating, to me, how she will have these sentences ready at the drop of a hat! Her mind, syntax & character blows my mind! Here’s another one she’s had on repeat:

“Not my story to tell!” -Amanda

This one carries ‘heart’, and every time I see her show respect & restraint for nuisance such as gossip, I giggle and beam with pride as her momma! Time is not to be spent, or better said wasted on futility.

Life is not a Beauty Contest, at least not for me it is. I hunt down the definition of the Beauty of Life, in life. There’s just so much to behold, learn, create and explore, daily…without competition, and a lot of celebration! Every single person, animal…even the invertebrate or naked, hairless ones and of course the diversity in flora, natural landscapes…basically all Creation, from the depths of the Seas to distant planets, stars & galaxies deserve beholding.

Heritage: Preservation is 🗝️

During the weekend, I went on a nature preservation mini adventure with our local Chief & Indigenous Warrior, Helen (Caquetio name: Tacamahaca) who is the founder and leader of Aruban Warriors-Local Indigenous Movement…Fabulously and infamously fierce; Helen is a fashionista, gifted in language, culture & historical knowledge and for the past few months, she has been helping Amanda & I gain more insight in our heritage, family history and stories of times gone by.

Helen is an activist, and I had the privilege of spending part of our morning, seeking out Palisia trees that are scheduled to be bulldozed in order to make room for a building project.

Aruba’s Flora is dry, yet these trees keep a steady green bark, despite!

Aruba’s tiny land snails are some of the cutest little oval-shaped forms of life that were abundant on a small parcel of land we visited. Wanna bet no one’s going to pick each one up by hand before flattening the area?

I keep one of these land snails on a local Bromelia plant, in my bathroom…Crazy?! Nope. I have a lot of respect for these often overlooked tough exoskeleton creatures that barely move when someone is watching! We have several types of land snails on the island and not enough inhabitants who show an interest in making sweet memories with them. Not to mention that their place in our ecosystem is crucial; God only knows what these pretty terrestrials are protecting us from (think of fungi?!)…

I want to thank Helen Croes a.k.a. Tacamahaca for a lovely time! I look forward to collaborating on educating our public of our Indigenous Heritage, environmental awareness & for answering all questions Amanda & I had concerning our family tree…Helen is like a “Tanchi” (Aunty) to us; she is my second cousin!

Identity & Freedom To Just Be…

As a person who lives with Sensory Processing ‘Disorder’, Dyscalculia & Synesthesia, I am considered Neurodivergent…

Neurodivergent describes individuals whose brain functions, learns, and processes information differently than what is considered standard or “neurotypical”

Neurodiversity is a relatively ‘new’ term used to describe an array of diagnoses, such as ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder and several others. Neurodiverse individuals usually have strengths that others (neurotypical individuals) don’t possess–there’s a catch though! We process the world differently; for me, processing pain, light, sound and vestibular sense as well as information, differs greatly from others…except Amanda of course!

A large canvas I painted, to honor my Heritage & Legacy, especially that of my father. As a child, I ‘helped’ build too! For this painting, I used his 40+ year-old hand tool, and created an ‘inclusive’ painting to stimulate the senses, so ALL could experience it through smell, sight, touch and yes, even taste!

I spent hours researching, ‘playing’, singing & just enjoying my own company & creativity to create an Art Piece to represent our collective Dutch Caribbean Heritage. Part of who I am, feared greatly that I ‘couldn’t paint, because I would ruin a canvas.’ I started painting around age 41! Now? I enjoy it, and have used it as a medium of language teaching with international students, who I taught Dutch & English.

Neurodivergence is hereditary…

A common misconception is that because Neurodivergent individuals learn how to ‘mask’ symptoms & characteristics, we must be somehow ‘faking it’ or aren’t genuine when out in public, at work or even with friends. This is not true of course; and I am confident enough to call out those who throw digs at the diagnosed, especially at children–The ‘challenged’ are excellent plumblines of the condition of the heart!

To me, Amanda has been a tremendous teacher! As her mother, I have been honored to shadow her, as she overcame challenges such as tics, social & developmental processing issues and behavioral difficulties. To hold a conversation that possesses high levels of connection, communication & self-reflection…especially the way Amanda shows ample social-communicative range such as the ability to compliment, show empathic attachment & symbolic/figurative use of language was unfathomable if you had met her as a toddler, kindergartner and at elementary age. As a teen, Amanda dealt with a whole new set of conundrums…important is, we both overcame!

Around Amanda, I feel like I am free to just be, especially as she gets older. I have suppressed so much of myself, especially when it comes to creative expression through painting/drawing & crafting. Amanda grew up with a Mom with echolalia (sounds/sentences/words in repetitive and often animated patterns; usually reproduced through hearing). There’s not a lot of information out there about aging within a Neurodiverse spectrum. As I age and learn to ‘let myself just be or feel’, Synesthesia has become a joy to explore, instead of just a nuisance. I get to ‘feel’ Amanda’s voice, I produce a lot of pictures in my mind (vivid imagination) and LOVE how music doesn’t give me goosebumps anymore…nah ah…I ‘see’ rhythm and melody…Oh and I get pleasant shocks down my spine!

We are unique creations, pieces of art…like everyone else on this planet! Me? I genuinely get a kick out of seeing people thrive, grow, smile & share their stories. And Science backs up a lot of what those who are ‘different-abled’ get to live & experience. If I could? I would spread as much Joy as possible, in a world where it seems that people are searching to fill a hole, while remaining stuck in endless cycles…