Update for July 31, 2026, including videos of my BIRD TREE and a report on my trip to Grecia and lunch with Jon and Francisco this afternoon.
3:20 p.m. 9333 steps
Walked on the back patio for 4500+ steps this morning instead of walking with Cindy today because I needed to stay near a bathroom due to the “dumping syndrome” that I occasionally experience as a result of intestinal bypass surgery in 1977.
So, I’ve been drinking coffee and lots of water this morning to compensate. Gotta be rehydrated before I hop the bus into Grecia at 11:20 this morning!
Update: Everything returned to normal within two hours, as usual.
The BIRD TREE
…down on Calle San Isidro/San Francisco is my favorite local/nearby “wildlife station.” Every morning between 6 and 7 , 25 to 30+ Costa Rican Crimson-Fronted Parakeets arrive to perch in the branches and frolic and converse in it.
I do my best to capture their antics with my smartphone camera, but it’s sadly inadequate for the task. Still, what I get is better than nothing until I can find/afford a better digital camera.
Here are a few videos, from best (zoomed) to worst (un-zoomed from about 20 feet away)…
https://www.facebook.com/674337914/videos/pcb.10165580180512915/1458823036278656
https://www.facebook.com/674337914/videos/pcb.10165580180512915/1041950541714433
https://www.facebook.com/674337914/videos/pcb.10165580180512915/1049663797794388
Got a cute pic of “Morning Sunshine” Charli this morning, too:
I’m Well-Lubed for Today’s Outing
Put on sunscreen and insect repellent and my beige undershirt. It’s gonna be HOT in Grecia until the clouds and rain roll in this afternoon, so I’ll have my sombrilla/paragua (umbrella) along, too.
The More I Read About Autism
…the more certain I am that I should be a card-carrying member of the tribe.
I did a self-test last year on line and got a “yep” diagnosis, so I’ve been befriending autism groups on Facebook to learn more because I check sooo many of the boxes! I was just taught/commanded at a very early age to “mask” the symptoms so I would fit in with neurotypical people!
Checking the Boxes
stimming — check! (tongue-sucking to self-soothe, finger tensing and relaxing, etc.)
OCD — check! (counting silently and repeatedly, checking to confirm I did what I know I did, repeating words and sentences in my head for minutes at a time, etc.)
Routine maintenance — check! (felt out of sync or overwhelmed when a routine got changed)
Hyperfocus/Deep Dives — check! (horses, pets, writing, Star Trek, animal behavior, etc.)
Depression/Anxiety — check! (several bouts of chronic depression as a teenager)
Pre-punctual — check! (an on-time fanatic)
Some noises actually painful — check! (skill saws, fingernails on blackboards, gun shots, etc.)
Need to isolate after human interactions — check!
Fear of not measuring up — check!
Imposter Syndrome — check!
Intermittent, evasive eye contact — check!
Missed social cues/sarcasm — check!
Super-sensitivity to social/interpersonal vibes — check!
Hyper empathy — check!
Fear of/hypersensitivity to some common sounds — check! (a ringing phone, alarms, sirens, etc.)
Perfectionism — check!
Unfiltered truth-telling (candid, frank, crystal clear communication, precise) — check!
People pleaser — check!
In-a-World-of-My-Own — check!
I don’t have learning disabilities
…other than left-brain functions like math, science and analytics. And my intuitive/creative right-brain abilities/sensitivities/ability to “read the room I’m in” compensate well for those deficits.
MOST of My Challenges are INTERNAL
…and not easy to recognize from outside. But I’m definitely different enough (when viewed by others) that a sort of yellow or red alert signal goes off when people first encounter me.
“NOT NORMAL!”
“KRIS IS READING ME LIKE A BOOK, EVEN THE STUFF I’M TRYING TO HIDE OR DISGUISE!”
“NOT SAFE!”
“KNOWS TOO MUCH!”
“BEWARE!”
A great many LGBTQIA+ and Creatives
…are on the Neurodiversity Spectrum. (Google them!). Neurodiverse folks are the visionaries who got us out of living in caves and got us into questioning homogenous clans and tribes. They’ve been the sages and masters, the so-called “woo woo” folks whose lives don’t mirror what’s deemed “normal” in the societies that so many of us find ourselves in, in the U.S. and other colonized nations.
Our innate uniqueness and diversity have been hijacked, homogenized, and poured into strict, confining molds and anyone who doesn’t conform — anyone who “spills out” or “colors outside the lines”/marches to a different drummer/knows too much is deemed difficult and alien/other.
It’s a real shame!
I feel fortunate to be trans and to be on the neurodiverse spectrum. My life choices have reflected these realities so I have very few regrets. I don’t think a lot of neurotypical people can make the same claim with a straight face. And that’s tragic to me!
So many people hide their light (their true essence) under a bushel. It’s alarming!
I’m Consciously UN-learning UN-helpful masking techniques
I’m un-learning perfectionism, people-pleasing, depression/anxiety, fear of not measuring up, and avoidance of eye contact. These are ongoing evolutions, but as I master them I find myself being less judgmental and “twitchy” about other people’s perceived shortcomings and fears.
We’re all just people trying to get back home to a time when we were less damaged and full of hope, joy and love, when we were unindoctrinated wee ones, when the world was our oyster with food and gems inside just waiting to be discovered, claimed and enjoyed.
No newborn child is guilty or “wrapped in a sin nature”
Babies are sponges — they soak up whatever they’re exposed to and have no filters to discern the good stuff from the bad. Later on, as they develop discernment, they’re looking at what is through an imperfect filter (whatever their parents and society have told/shown them).
Some people (neurodiverse ones, primarily!) figure this out pretty fast and begin to question “Is that really so?” (bigotry, fear of others, religion, politics, relationships) and a great many of them learn (or decide) to “follow facts wherever they lead,” which can result in enormous dis–illusion-ment and “AHA!” moments that confirm something entirely different than neurotypical folks deem to be “the truth,” “holy-sacred,” etc.
WE NEED BOTH!
We need ALL perspectives. Each has its assets and deficits. There is no one right way to be a human being. What works/floats my boat won’t work/float yours. That doesn’t make us ENEMIES. It makes us uniquely human and gifted in different ways.
We need to remember to LISTEN
…to each other and then to take what is worth taking, keep what is worth keeping, and — “with a breath of kindness” — blow the rest away, as the poem says.
But FIRST, LISTEN with your whole heart
…without chomping at the bit to react/respond in an oppositional or defensive manner.
Ask for their sources, evaluate them for truthful fact-checking, and decide whether the person is even open to reviewing their sources and conclusions dispassionately. If not, wish them well and let them be.
If they vote differently as a matter of calcified habit to party loyalty, wish them well and move on. They’re as passionate about what they believe as you are. Let majority votes win the elections!
We need to co-exist or we’ll all perish together.
We are all going to perish one day, individually. So, do what’s best for the seven generations of human beings who will follow you, related or not. IF we do right by them, we will have done what’s right for everyone.
Is your vote KIND/HELPFUL/FAIR to EVERYONE YOU KNOW OF, whether they’re rich or poor, loved and supported, or unloved and all alone?
If the answer is yes, then do it!
It’s pretty simple. “Do unto others —” You know the rest of that quote.
BACK FROM GRECIA
I hopped the bus to Grecia, got some money at the bank, got cat food at the alimentos store, bought apio (celery) at Mercado Municipal and bought a bottle of Powerade. Also bought an ice cream cone for my mercado friend (the chicken/fish seller) and myself. He was floored.
(He had never had an ice cream cone there! He has no disposable income despite working his tail off every day. When he saw my cone and mentioned how good it looked, I pulled out 1000 colones and said, “It is! Go get one for yourself, my treat!” He just about fell over. It made my day to bless him in that simple, easy way!)
I also got some more hair color.
Then I went to the park to wait for noon.
As I sat at the park,
I watched a menacing dark cloud descend over the area, and I knew I had to get where I was going FAST or I’d be walking in a downpour, so I got up and walked down to the soda. I was about 15 minutes early so I crossed the street to visit APUNTES and get some scotch tape.
Just about then, the sky opened up. It absolutely poured. I didn’t want to pull out my umbrella just to cross the street, so I ran across, and got pretty wet doing it.
Not long after, Jon arrived. We greeted each other. He said Francisco was on his way on foot and then excused himself to use the bathroom.
Francisco arrived and we hugged.
When Jon got back we walked to the buffet-like area and chose our meals. They were yummy. And yes, I forgot to take pictures even though I put two x’s on my left thumb to remind me. (The jog across the street in the downpour washed them off!)
Jon told me all about their trip to France
…and how much fun they had. Francisco loved every minute of the trip, as did Jon. They did a lot of walking, subway travel, bus and train travel and went all over Paris enjoying the views, the churches and the museums. They enjoyed the French cuisine. It sounded like the trip of a lifetime for them.
We visited for a good forty minutes even after finishing our meals, then Jon drove Francisco home before taking me home. I told them I’ve seen more of their dogs recently than I have seen of them, and that it was lovely catching up with them again. (In fact, I’ve spent more time with their dogs than I have with them in the eleven months I’ve been here, now that I think of it! SHEESH! But they’re busy guys, so that makes perfect sense!)
It was a lovely day, overall. I’m very happy!
So is Charli because I got her some more creamy treats. I’m spoiling that cat!
“That’s what pets are for!”
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