Though I Do Not Know You

You could never know how much of a difference you made, how could you? Not until I made it clear, anyway. Two strangers. We never met, you don’t even know what I look like, or even my name. All I know of you is from your words and the picture you included. That is all.

Do you even know I am a woman? Or that I am not speaking for another? All that you will know, is that I am grateful for what I read. I didn’t have to give money to you, I could have just thanked you, that would have been enough, however something touched me and your words spoke to me, for that I am truly thankful.

It’s beautiful to think that a person’s words can evoke so many emotions. You speak the truth and are courageous in doing so. This topic is not talked about enough, and our female voices are not heard.

As I turned on my laptop, scrolling to the website for new articles, your face popped up on the front page. “Yes, Girls have Autism.” As I read, I agreed with the statements, the arguments and facts society has made us do. You were kind enough to share this with the world, and although you may not find it brave or that impactful, I do. It changed the way I look at this topic.

You speak about issues not talked about in the mainstream, issues which are important, but never get enough credit. You share your experiences, your challenges, out in the open, without any fear, I admire you for that, it takes guts to shout into the void, to not care what others think.

To all those undiagnosed or unsure, you made those women feel secure, more relieved than before, you write the truth. You say how the things you experience are not strange or scary, but should be embraced, never ignored. Thank you for that.

To give money to a stranger. This may happen for many reasons. Charity, obligation, a sense of pride in yourself. You may not understand the reason, but my reason is my own, and I choose to thank with just a sprinkle of money.

No name, no face. I want to be anonymous. It doesn’t really matter who I am and where I live. I do not know your location and you know I live halfway across the world from you, so in several lifetimes it is unlikely we will ever meet, and if we did, we would never know.

As you scroll down the comments of your article and see money paid into your Ping It accounts, you will wonder, why? Why me? What have I done to deserve this? I hope you take pride in your work, and the impact of how your voice can have on the emotions and lives of others. An act of kindness between strangers is a funny thing, especially in the dawn of the internet. Why do something for someone when you know nothing about them? What kind of person they are, what they even look like. That act of putting in the effort to write, to speak about important issues, that otherwise go unspoken, is important. Otherwise, if we go on with our lives, practicing the same routines, day in day out, nothing will change. Like with every revolution, there needs to be a spark for the flame to engulf. Even if I am the only one that reads and does something about it, that is one more person than before.

Change takes time, what you have written is that spark we need to change society. Thank you for speaking out stranger, who I will probably have no contact with, or maybe I will, perhaps you will grow famous and I will remember your name. Whatever the outcome, here’s $10 dollars, or your equivalent, for what you have to say.