Inaguration Day

Good morning, everyone!

This is the first in what I hope will become a series of blogs about ... hm ... interesting.  I haven't really decided what this blog will actually be about.

I have been on a journey of self-development of sorts lately (and by lately, I mean in the past 15 months or so), and I have learned that the world is a fairly imbalanced place.  There's a significant amount of things going on that I, quite frankly, don't understand.  I am hoping that, by sharing some of these challenges I encounter with my friends and family, aquaintances, collegues, and maybe even total strangers, I can come to comprehend even a little bit that which currently baffles me.

That being said, I don't hope to solve the problems of the world, even if it is just my tiny sliver of the world, with a blog.  That would be hubris.  But sometimes, shedding a little light on the dark places in the world is where it starts.

I am also hoping that, through writing this blog, and sharing with you my thoughts and feelings, I can learn a little more about myself.  I have also learned recently, that I have made myself conform to certain expectations of others in order to fit in to the given environment in which I find myself at the time.  No longer will I be doing that.  It's exhausting and it sets a terrible example for my children.  I remind them at every opportunity how extraordinary they are and that they do not need to conform to anyone's expectations of them, and I need to start practicing what I preach.

So, some of the topics will be heavy: Autism, sexual assault, criminal justice - all things about which I am very passionate.  Some of them will be light: how I think dry shampoo is one of the greatest inventions ever, but makes me feel like a chinchilla being dusted.  Some will be emotional and/or technical commentary on current events: the 14-year-old autistic boy who was taken down by police on suspicion of using drugs (I have both personal and legal insight on that one).  Some will be on my own battles with my health and the various bureaucracies that surround obtaining care for myself and my kids.  And some days, you may just get a picture of a smiling ginger child.

I can't promise how often I will post - I work too hard and travel too much for that.  But if any of this sounds like it might interest you, feel free to read as much or as little as you like, and if anyone out there is reading, I will keep the posts coming.

Caio from the Palazzo for now - more to come soon!