People Not Listening

When communicating is already hard, people not listening rips at it.

When searching for words to say takes a lot, people not believing the words, or trying to put words in your mouth, makes it even more of a struggle to say anything.

When initiating saying anything takes so much, people not taking it into account says its not worth trying.

When its so hard to get people to listen, it rips at emotional scars. It rips at a lifetime of people pushing for normalcy. It rips at people not being accepting. It rips at being hurt over and over again because of being who you are.

It rips at doing everything you can and being the best you can be, and being told that its not good enough.

They just won't listen.

They just won't listen to you saying "let me get help my way, not yours"; "I have my needs, not yours"; "my body is not the same as your"; "This hurts"; "Help, please" or "Leave me alone, please".

They just won't listen.

Because your words aren't what they expect to hear. They're not given in the way they're expected. They're not the words they expect.

And because they're not what they expect, they aren't taken as seriously. Because expectations matter.

So, sometimes, people who have communication impairments end up being better communicators, because they actually listen. Because they realize that not everyone communicates the same way. Because they have to know that. Because they've lived it too.

They've lived the downsides.

They know that people don't always listen.

But why does it have to hurt so much?