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Finding Community Through Small Business: Our Journey in Mooresville, NC

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In 2020, at the very onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, my family made a significant move from our native home in Tampa Bay area in Florida to the quieter, more close-knit community of Mooresville, NC. Like many families during this time, we found ourselves facing not just the challenges of a new environment, but also the profound isolation brought on by the pandemic. This was particularly challenging for us, a family of inverted neurodivergent individuals who struggle with social anxiety yet yearn for a sense of community.  Our journey to connect with our new home has been a unique blend of our personal challenges and passions. Early on, we decided to channel our special interests into a small business, Niche & Nicknacks. This venture became a therapeutic outlet and a bridge to the community we longed to be a part of. While our business primarily operated online, the desire to engage face-to-face with our community remained a strong, albeit daunting, aspiration.  Our breakthrough cam

Embracing Neurodiversity: A Journey of Self-Discovery

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  Embracing Neurodiversity: A Journey of Self-Discovery As I sit down to write this, I find myself reflecting on the twists and turns of my life’s journey, particularly the recent discovery that I am neurodivergent. Diagnosed with mild autism in my mid-forties, this revelation has brought both clarity and a sense of empowerment to my identity.  What makes this journey even more profound is that it’s not just mine alone. I am a mother to two incredible young women, both of whom are neurodivergent themselves, navigating the unique challenges and gifts that come with ADHD and ASD. Our shared experiences have deepened our bond and illuminated the beauty of neurodiversity in all its forms.  For years, I struggled to fit into a world that seemed to operate on a different wavelength. Through masking, I managed to become a  successful professional, earning two master’s degrees. Yet, despite my academic achievements and professional acumen, social interactions remained a challenge. The world se

Everything Rain

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Have you ever been caught in the midst of a thunderous storm? The rain pelting against the windowpanes, the wind howling like a symphony of chaos, and the darkness enveloping everything in its path. It’s overwhelming, isn’t it? Sometimes, our minds can feel just like that - loud, turbulent, and consumed by a torrential downpour of emotions.  Picture yourself in the shoes of Tiny Dragon from James Norbury’s “Big Panda and Tiny Dragon,” feeling lost in the midst of a storm raging inside your head. “My head feels like this storm sometimes,” you might say. The turbulence within can be paralyzing, stealing away our executive functions and leaving us feeling stranded amidst the tempest of our emotions.  In such moments, it’s as if the storm has taken over, leaving us frozen in its wake. The ability to regulate our emotions becomes a Herculean task, overshadowed by the thunderous roar of our racing thoughts and feels.  But just as Tiny Dragon found solace in Big Panda’s gentle words, there’s

Small But Certain Happiness

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Life can get pretty busy sometimes, right? We're often swamped with things we have to do, leaving us little time to enjoy the good stuff. But every now and then, life reminds us to slow down and notice the happy moments all around us. It could be a song, watching the rain from your porch, or finding something that brings back good memories. I remember one of these moments not long ago. I had finished my errands and was heading back to my car, lost in my thoughts about all the stuff I still had to do. As I looked up, I saw an anime store nearby, something I'd seen before but never really paid attention to. This time, though, something caught my eye. A couple came out of the store, both looking super happy. They were holding a model kit, but it wasn't the kit that made me smile—it was how happy they looked. Their joy was infectious, and even though I didn't know them, I couldn't help but feel happy too. Their happiness made me think: what makes me that happy? What s

Finding Hope

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Hey there, amazing readers! It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions for me lately as I dived into BTS’s “Wings” album, gearing up for his blog post. Life, however, had other plans for me with an unexpected family situation throwing me off course. But here I am, ready to share a little about the bumpy journey and the unexpected twist that helped me find hope in an unlikely place.  Ever been in a spot where a loved one is going through a rough patch, and your usual bag of comforting words just doesn’t seem to cut it? It’s like trying to mend a puzzle with missing pieces - challenging and sometimes downright frustrating. What’s even trickier is when it feels like your loved one is caught up in this tough cycle, and you find yourself powerless to break it.  For me, this recent situation hit differently. As someone who often turns to faith for hope, it was disheartening to realize that my own words of encouragement were falling short.  It’s like trying to use a band-aid on a broken heart - yo