Loving Someone with Autism

  As many of the people who follow me on Instagram or Snapchat knows, I have been in a relationship for the past 6 years. What most don't know is that my boyfriend has Aspergers.
  Aspergers is a form of Autism that mainly restricts a person's social interaction and non-verbal communication, and involves repetitive patterns of behaviour, rituals and interests.
  From the moment I met Robbie, I knew his brain wasn't the same as the average person's. He loved things deeply and could go on and on for hours on end if I let him, one thing out of routine caused major anxiety and he was very quiet around new people. He also did not understand facial expressions or subtle hints. Like, if I was sad, I had to tell him up front, "Baby, I'm sad," in order for him to recognize that I wasn't in a happy spot. It made things difficult at first, but as we moved on in our relationship, it became easier to understand his routine and why he had one, rather than fight him to try to change it.
  He was officially diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome as an adult. This, as expected, was not easy and I was completely useless in helping him in a physical way because of how far away we are distance wise. All I knew is that I didn't love him any less. It made me love him more than I ever thought possible.
  For the past six years, I have had to learn to love someone through all of their mental issues. I have mental issues, I have severe anxiety that leaves me house-bound some days. I have episodes of sub-psychotic rage where I can't calm myself down, I have some severe trust issues because of my past and he accepts all of me. Who would I be now if I didn't accept him and love the craziness of his brain?
  He has taught me patience, which was not easy, I'll tell you. However, he makes loving him very easy. He never raises his voice, he never makes me feel scared and he still looks at me as if I am the only woman on the planet. His eyes still trail up and down my entire body before looking into my eyes with a look of pure gratitude and love, which is all I could have ever asked for.
  Loving a man or woman with Autism of any kind is never easy, but I've been shown that it is so worth it. This man, who just found out what was wrong with him after 30 years of unknown symptoms, loves me in a way that I couldn't ever have received from anyone else, and that makes me luckier than most.