Most people expect vehicles to stick to tarmac and concrete roads. However, for as long as I can remember, I've been drawn to those moments when tyres press into softer ground, sometimes leaving their marks behind. What others dismissed as an unusual obsession actually opened doorways to understanding soil mechanics, physics principles, and even linguistic connections. 

"Interests are like tyre marks on grass. Unexpected but full of meaning, while others stick to the tarmac. Some of us explore softer ground." 

For me, this metaphor captures something which I see interesting about my autistic experience. It's to do with finding meaning and beauty in unexpected places that others might otherwise overlook. Through personal stories about school memories, park run parking dilemmas, and scientific observations, I share how this fascination helped me understand not just the physical world, but more about my own neurodivergent mind.

My journey explores how seemingly quirky interests should be seen as pathways to deeper understanding and unique perspectives. When I notice the different sounds of driving on varied surfaces or observe how heavy vehicles leave different marks on clay versus sandy soil, I'm engaging with the world in a different way, a way that's unique to me. These explorations off the beaten path – metaphorically stepping off the tarmac, from what I now understand, can lead to one developing innovative thinking, problem-solving skills, and perhaps even contributions that benefit everyone. They were, in the words of my diagnostician in a letter to my primary school headteacher one time, "major preoccupations of a psychological nature which will not go away with bullying".

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Artwork produced by Elena Designe
Music composed by Nela Ruiz