What makes life meaningful for you?

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I try to see meaning in everything. I think things have a way of working out the way they're supposed to. I try to maintain a positive outlook on life and a good sense of humor.

Other things that I find meaningful might be connecting with people or helping others. I have trouble communicating sometimes, so when I do make that connection, it can bring me much joy.

I do not find life to be meaningful. I try to find value in it, however. What gives life value for me is primarily pursuit of understanding. I think shared love can as well. I find it hard to remember.

This interview was done last year by the creators of this website...

http://stories.makingmylife.com/2011/01 ... /#more-293

It was done LONG before I realized I had ASD or even before I know what Aspergers was. As I listened to this for the first time last night, I was nearly in tears for myself and for the realization/understanding of how profoundly Aspergers has affected my life. I made at least 10 refrences to being scared (AKA anxiety) all the time in my life. I talked about how I had to pick up some artistic endeavor in order to change my literal and black/white ways. I talk about being private or intraverted. I talk severl times about being non-traditional. I talk about how I nearly destroyed my physical health by forgetting to eat and forgetting to take care of me. The reason I cried was not because I am a failure but rather I now see how hard my life is and I know I will have to continue to always seek the peace and the balance in order to prevent depression, anxiety disorders, etc.... I am grateful that I now can seek intervention and counseling to help me continue to grow.

ALL these things that I mention are Aspergers issues working through me and all these things played a key part in who I am today and who I have become. Without any sort of knowledge of Aspergers I knew that I had to fix these things. I play sports because as a youth I was always the slowest and clumsiest kid. Always picked last for teams. I play guitar because I knew that never having listened to music ( at 40 years of age) or having any "art" in my home was a "weird" thing. I knew that by exercising different cortex in my brain I would fire nuerons and encourage new pathways. I was right. It wasn't easy but I was able to become a better balanced and more whole person through these therapies.

Without them I would be suffering from one of the many comorbid conditions I have flirted with in my life and be under or un-employed and a vicitimm to this disorder.

I don't know that I still do, because I'm just so weary these days (years), but I used to find meaning in visual art. The thing I found comforting about it is that unlike other more abstract disciplines (like philosophy, for instance, or even literature), the meaning of a work of art is in its physical presence. It's right in front of you. I went to art school, so perhaps visual art is easier for me to understand than it might be for someone who hasn't studied it, but I find that it explains itself, and at its best it just "is."

I don't know if this has anything to do with AS, but I suspect that it does. Concrete objects might have more meaning for me than abstract ideas.

I'm not sure if this is of any help as to your original question. I don't know if your son could find that art is meaningful to him or not, if he were to get to know it.

Well, i've come to the relisation that i need to get my life together. So i've decided to move to colorado, Colorado will help me especially all the freaking mountains there

Of course i'm just going to dissapear, (wich is always what i've wanted to do) so if you see me on the news as a missing person now you know why

My cats. My "significant other." Using my graphic design and writing/editing talents for Ehlers-Danlos National Foundation (for others with my connective tissue disorder). Music, which would be first on the list were I still physically able to play instead of just listen.

My baby. I spend 90% of my time with him. Maybe more now that my husband comes home and goes to his computer than to his son and he just leaves me with him and doesn't even take him out of my arms anymore or even offer to hold him and take care of him when he cries unless I tell him to take him. His reason is so I get better experience and be a better mother.

Nothing is meaningful.

Strangely, I find that fact comforting. Sort of a Zen lullaby.

It's all the overwrought BS that scares me. Wrong religion, wrong race, wrong favorite football team, wrong political party, wrong favorite food, wrong opinion on boobs-vs-ass, wrong haircut, wrong sense of right and wrong . . . ugh.

Life is in the doing. Life is in the being. Everything else is just BS.

Take a trip, paint a landscape, punch a clown. Don't spend too much time asking why it matters. It matters because it's happening right now. Make peace with that fact and focus on living.

I honestly don't know how to answer that question, and now I'm going to end up tossing and turning and taking forever to fall asleep because my mind will be incredibly preoccupied with figuring out an answer. I wish I'd read this come morning lol.

the things that make life "meaningful" for me are, in no particular order-
*the occasional tasty meal
*good music
*sublime golden-reddish sunsets
*a cool stiff breeze on a hot day
*enveloping warmth on a cold day
*le petit mort [lots of 'em]
*a good sharp aged cheddar cheese
*a fine cold hard cider
*restoring bad audio into something easier on the ears
*being nice and clean and sweet-smelling after a good hot shower
*sleeping and the occasional sweet dream at night
*pizza, the world's most perfect food [other than good dark chocolate]
*anything that makes me forget about my life for a bit
*high fidelity audio reproduction
*edifying entertainments in general
*wrong planet