Dr. Temple Grandin has a rhythmic drumming experience.

I love these videos of Temple Grandin doing rhythmic drumming with former student Michelle Hardy.  Not just because they are adorable, although they certainly are.

They demonstrate a couple of key factors in Dr. Grandin's success: she's willing to try new things, and she's not afraid to look foolish.  Both of these things can be hugh obstacles for everybody, but they are especially hard for people with autism.  Our attachment to routine and our slow learning curve with many things can make us very reluctant to leave our comfort zones. Our experiences with unfriendly ridicule may discourage us from trying anything that might make us look silly. 

Rhythmic drumming probably isn't going to transform Dr. Grandin's life, but consider how important those qualities were to her academic and professonal success.  I wouldn't have the nerve to build a machine to hug myself and bring it into my dorm room.  It's true that Dr. Grandin's autism makes her less concerned about social disapproval than many other people, even many of us on the spectrum. It's still a trait worth valuing and imitating, when it comes to not letting what others might think hold us back from trying something that might be good for us or might be fun.

Temple Grandin is saying "yes" to life in these videos.  Please follow her example and do the same today.

Click here to watch.