Kindred spirit. That’s what animal welfare and autism advocate Temple Grandin calls herself in relation to animals. Temple recently spoke at Duke University, a guest of Duke’s Women’s Studies Program.  Tickets sold out fast.  I watched the video online.

What an authentic human being.  She told true stories to demonstrate types of thinking and explained how humans and animals both experience the same types of emotion; sad, mad, scared, lonely, contentment. Animals, like her a person with autism, have more visual thinking. So animals remember visual events and patterns.

Grandin is not much on the making of laws and politics. She says people think too abstractly, and believes people need to think from the bottom up versus the top down.  Look at the real results, hands-on, not on paper. Her keen powers of observation led her to being named one of Time’s 100 most influential people.

Much about  Temple’s presentation reminded me that being part of this world, instead of just being in this world, is what makes life interesting and complete. Temple Grandin dances to her own music, and her talent has rippled out into the universe.

Art Prescription: Dance to your own music!!