Our Social Squad has been exploring the world of plants and insects over the past two months as we help form social connections and provide opportunities to engage with community activities as part of a group.
In June, we went together to the Botanical Conservatory to see their Color in Motion: Live Butterfly Exhibit. It was both fun and funny to enter a netted tent full of fluttering paper-thin wings. Some of us wanted as many to land on us as possible. Some weren't too sure.
In July, we picked blueberries and blackberries at a u-pick berry farm, Cedar Creek Produce. We enjoyed being outside and chatting as we hunted for the very best berries - whatever qualities "very best" meant for each of us. Some of us wanted them very ripe. Some of us wanted them to last longer once they were home.
Growth, but Not What Others Expect
Both of these environments passively offered opportunities to practice social skills of various kinds - how to balance a conversation, how to interact with staff and other patrons, etc. There were opportunities for growth just like there was growth all around us. Growth of plants and fruit. Growth of caterpillars into butterflies.
Growth is good, but sometimes the type of growth others focus on isn't the one that's most important - at least not to the person doing the growing.
Sometimes it can become tiring to always be focused on growing social skills. Sometimes we just want to grow friendships.
It would be easy to draw an analogy between the butterflies or plants and social skills - an analogy of transformation, of growth, of becoming something different, something more, something better.
But we're just people.
We're just people who want to hang out with other people and be accepted. We do want to succeed at social interactions. Everyone wants to succeed at social interactions. But we also want social interactions to succeed at us.
We want social interactions to not take offense when we miss invisible cues. We want social interactions to not assume things we don't mean. We want social interactions to accept us.
We're not caterpillars waiting to be butterflies.
And so when we plan our Social Squad outings, we make sure that the environments we select will support the continued growth of our skills ... but we let that growth happen in a natural, passive way while we focus on the friendships growing between us.
Our real focus is on supporting and appreciating each other as unique individuals who are valuable just as we already are. Our focus is on connecting with each other. Our focus is on growing community.
Coming Up Next
Our next outing will be to Black Pine Animal Sanctuary in August. If that sounds like something you want to check out, watch our Facebook and Instagram pages for announcements or contact us directly at Groups@PartnersinAutism.com!
Planning your own outing to grow and strengthen friendships? Check out our printable planning guide!
