All Grown Up

All Grown Up

When I was a kid, my parents got my brothers and I a set of walkie talkies. I remember using them with my brothers and some of my brother Ryan’s friends. I loved pretending we were spies. Little did I know at the time that walkie talkies, something children use at play, would eventually make me feel like such an adult.

As of the posting of this blog, it has been exactly 44 days since I got on a plane and came back to Columbus Ohio after a two-week trip visiting my “sister” in Loveland Colorado. It was really sad for me to leave, but I knew I had to come back. Not just because Ohio is my home, but also because I made my “sister” Arden a promise…and I intended to keep it.

The next day I got up, grabbed my phone, and sent out a text to a friend of mine named Kathy. I've mentioned Kathy in previous posts. She works for Haugland Learning Center (HLC), which is the school for autistic children that I attended when I was originally diagnosed. I asked when would be a good time for me to call her, and we landed on the following Monday morning.

“Hey, Mitch!” She exclaimed when the day finally arrived.

“Hey, Kathy..” I said trying to figure out where to start, “so umm, I was wondering…. I mean, do you think it would be okay… I mean do you know if you have any job openings?”

“I’m pretty sure we have an opening in the Ace program… were you ever in Ace?”

“Is that the after-school program?”

“Yes! Let me check I will get back to you later!”

Later that day she texted me again confirming that they had an opening, and after a long wait finally, yesterday came… My background check went through two days ago and my new boss, Adycen asked me if I wanted to start a day early.

I walked into HLC at 2:30 on the dot and walked right to Adycen's office. Upon my entrance, she gave me a walkie-talkie. I don't think she realized until she saw the look on my face, the weight of what she had just done. Obviously, the walkie talkies are used for communication purposes (What else would we use them for? Decoration?). But, you have to understand for four years in my school life, I watched teachers carry these things. I don't think they were ever meant as symbols of authority, but I think they accidentally became one.

“Woah!” I exclaimed clutching it in my hand. And that was the moment I realized I have grown up!

Have a Greattastic day!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri