I forgot how much I love to travel. We spent a week in northern New Mexico with
my family, and it was not enough time. My siblings and I had children later in life, so we're all middle-aged parents of young children. The joy of cousins linking up and giggling together was incredible.
On one of the days, we went to see the Rio Grande Gorge near Taos. As we looked
for the hiking path entrance, I fell. I was holding my 3-year-old's hand and took him down with me, which is the only part of the story he's telling. I had no memory of tripping. It was as if someone shoved me from behind and I landed on the pavement on my hands and knees.
Recently, I declared how clumsiness wasn't one of the neurodivergence things I experienced. Later that day I dropped my dinner plate on the floor and ran into a door jam in the house we've occupied for three and a half years. Did you know many neurodivergent people deal with clumsiness?
The research is thin, but if you talk to other neurodivergent folks you'll soon discover this shared curiosity. It might be related to sensory processing, distractibility, impulsivity, or neurobiology.
Interestingly, I have great balance, but very poor body awareness (the vestibular and proprioception senses) when I'm not concentrating. So, I guess I'm writing this as a public statement accepting my truth. I drop stuff. I bump into things. I fall. I knock things over, including people. We don't have to be ashamed, but we do need to accept it and watch out. Be safe out there.
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