It took too long for me to post a new entry in my blog. It has been a very disorienting time for me. The job is stressful with customers calling all the time and emails piling up with orders, complaints and questions. The strange fact, however, is that I have begun to enjoy my work! It combines routine tasks, such as entering orders, with solving intricate questions, such as technical issues with tools. I have also been appointed team administrator, one of three, and specialist in measuring instruments, ie lasers. As an Aspie this suits me quite well because I do not get frustrated with monotonous work, plus I enjoy solving problems. An added bonus is that I only communicate with the customers via phone or e-mail, so the stress of social interaction is considerably reduced.
Something else I enjoy about the job is that I work mainly on my own, so I can disappear into myself. Any interaction I have with my colleagues is mostly professional and very limited. At first this petrified me because I thought I would be completely isolated, but funnily enough this has not occurred. What has helped a lot is my diagnosis. I am aware now that it is no point trying to be social or ‘friendly’, therefore I simply focus on doing my job to the best of my ability and to stay out of trouble by not saying much. My colleagues, on their part, appreciate my willingness to work hard and my willingness to help them. They say that I am the anchor of the team, I guess because of my age, and although they know that I have Asperger’s they do not really understand what this means, or how it handicaps me.
Sometimes I envy my colleagues because of their easy social interaction and feel the sorrow that I am forever alone, but I take solace in the fact that I am doing my best and thriving. So far so good.
An Aspie's Voyage 