I don't cry during sad movies, or happy ones. I often joke, that I don't have emotions. So why did I feel a lump in my throat when I recently sat down to watch Sesame Street?
When Big Bird walks over to introduce himself to Julia, a new Muppet with autism, he gets offended when she doesn't respond right away.
Then a surprising thing happens. Without dwelling on her autism, the characters normalize the situation, explaining that she's a kid who happens to process things a little differently.
When I was young, I used to be obsessed with making up stories. Dolls and other toys became characters in long complicated plots that would evolve over months and years on end.
It was like living in a moving bubble that created a barrier between me and everyone else. For a long time, no one else could really connect with me, even members of my family.