Me: This traffic is the pits! Daddy calls this “slinky” traffic, when we speed up, slow down, speed up, slow down.

Dan (18, autism): I know how to help you so the traffic won’t stress you out.

Me (surprised!): You do??? What’s that?

Dan: Go to a happy place in your mind, and you won’t be stressed. My happy place is on the stage of The Price is Right.

Bad Mommy thinking: Here we go again. Blah blah blah about gameshows.

Dan: What’s your happy place, Mom?

Wow. Once again, he breaks out briefly from his world and interests, and intersects purposefully with me and mine. And I answer, “Here’s my happy place”:

But really, it’s this moment, right here, right now with you. I wish I had said that.

~ Danz Mom, Peggy