Watching and Waiting #AtoZChallenge

We watch and wait to see the latest developments in the life of my autistic brother in law, Bil.

Perhaps we should be more like April the Giraffe, a giraffe living at Animal Adventure Park in upstate New York. 

The private zoo where April lived decided to train a webcam on her this past February. She had been a prime attraction at the park, and was expecting a baby calf.  The park expected the webcam would be up just a few days.  Her fans could watch her give birth, and then they would take the webcam down.

Nothing went as planned.  Nothing.

April didn't give birth until April 15.

A few hundred fans, in the meantime, blossomed into hundreds of thousands.  In fact, many autistic people, especially children, found fascination in April. (Bil was not one of them - up to now, he's showed little interest in being online). They, and neurotypicals, watched April obsessively.

The staff of AAP was not ready for their fame.  Going viral can be a blessing and a curse.  Now, they had to scramble to accommodate all the news agencies, the new fans, the old fans, those who claimed the pregnancy was a hoax, those complaining about the camera angles, those demanding the lens be cleaned, the water be moved, or whatever else.

But April, the unknowing center of attention, just continued to do what she always did (in a way, just like Bil).

Here are the lessons of April the giraffe I learned while watching and waiting for April to give birth (and after the birth):

1.  Expect the unexpected.
2.  Do the best you can with what you have.
3.  Don't hesitate to ask for help if things become overwhelming.
4.  Don't let the naysayers get you down.
5.  Don't be afraid to reach for the stars.

"W" Day on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Thank you for joining me on my Unknown Journey.