Benjamin is driven to his internship program. For the last five years he rode a bus to school, and before that I was the chauffeur. He has no aspirations to drive, which makes things simpler. It would be dicey to explain why someone who does not always look both ways when he is on foot could get into trouble behind the wheel.
I try to hustle him along, so that we do not keep the driver waiting. Most days he heads out the door within a minute of the car appearing in the driveway. Today, for reasons unknown, he was ready a tad early. I suggested that he keep his eyes on the window. Let me be clear that Anthony was not late. Ben does not use anything as impartial as a clock to calibrate his actions.
"I don't have all day!" This was verging on rude, considering that his driver has faithfully navigated traffic, road closures, snow, rain, and late start times. He even gifted Ben with a book for Christmas.
"I hope you will be polite to Anthony. Say 'good morning' and be friendly. Not like Dudley."
Ben learns best from examples, even the bad ones. He is aware that Scrooge was selfish, but he changed. Dudley from Harry Potter did not.
It is outside of Benjamin's scope of reference to understand the multiple factors Anthony faces in getting to our house at precisely 6:57. Empathy does not come easily to people on the spectrum, and yet I feel the need to nudge him in that direction.
Sometimes I fall into impatience. Why didn't this baby arrive on her due date? Why didn't I fall in love in college instead of afterwards? Why didn't the perfect job appear for my adult son when he went hunting?
It turns out that I am at times as egocentric as Ben. I expect the world to spin to my liking. I am largely oblivious to the obstacles even God faces when orchestrating my life. After all, look what He has to work with.
Human beings.
