Late Bloomer's Harvest: the Slow Movement meets Neurodiversity

Here’s to learning to follow along at your own pace

“Pomelo Harvest.” Late Bloomer’s Harvest (Mock-up by rawpixel.com)

Throughout my life I have grown accustomed to being underestimated. Despite doing well in my classes, despite being a strong independent learner, despite having strengths in areas that proved difficult for most. Despite, despite, despite…

All people could ever seem to focus on were my weaknesses (as if we didn’t all have them, lurking around in some faraway distant place). So much so, I grew comfortable with this unwavering reality. It meant little pressure to overachieve, because most people were not expecting much anyway.

I could work away quietly to my heart’s content and, come the big reveal, leave everyone pleasantly surprised. Competition and pressure were overwhelming, stressful. But this way, the only one I ever had to compete with was myself.

Still to this day, the story hasn’t changed. Now, as a teacher myself, it breaks my heart to hear the things that peers say to me about other slow learners. (Is this how they would talk about me?) They could never quite see what lied beneath.

“Lemon Blossom.” Late Bloomer’s Harvest (Mock-up by rawpixel.com)