As a non-speaker, I process situations and emotions differently than others. From what I understand, speaking people often have discussions with others to process their world. Over the years, I have had to find my own ways to deal with this. When I was younger, I would perseverate on something and hope to figure it out on my own. This lead others to believe I was demanding, when my intention was to better understand how I felt.

I have learned that my intentions were not clear and I need to be more transparent about if I need to process or take action. Things like blogging, making mind maps, and e-mailing help me work through and better understand situations. I am beginning to learn the value of discussion rather than jumping to action. Sometimes, I have to process out loud to feel confident. I am always making sense of how my brain works best. I miss a lot of learning opportunities speaking people have had because I have to find my own ways of doing things. I am grateful I want to keep growing.