We get all upset when someone we support gets kicked out of Strictly Come Dancing. We get really het up about Brexit although we no longer have any control. It really annoys me when I go all the way to pick up something I want from a shop in town only to discover the girl on the phone had made a mistake and they were out of stock. There are no words to adequately reflect the grief felt at the news of men and boys shot dead, bombed to death, 45 minutes of carnage, can you imagine, 45 minutes of shooting?
No wonder there were only a few survivors. Suddenly a town of widows their men gone. Women stunned to realise their men had been murdered, sons, brothers, cousins, husbands, innocents mowed down at prayer in the mosque in the most brutal way.
And you know what, the spotlight has already moved on. If we were becoming desensitised to atrocities of this nature, this surely is a wakeup call. The feeling of frustration is immense, even words fail. In about eleven minutes we were tasked with convincing listeners that Northern Ireland is the happiest place for women to live.
But then so many of us have difficulty in saying the right thing at the right time, awkwardness walking into a crowded room, not confident enough to chat to strangers and we take awful risks at times without appreciating the dangers. The majority of us get through life OK but there are over 30, individuals affected by Autism in Northern Ireland and for them and their families it makes a devastating difference to their lives and the lives of those around them.
This is an incurable lifelong development condition that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others. Over 7, school children here are diagnosed as having Autism with many more waiting for diagnosis — waiting time is at least 35 months. As one parent told me, once diagnosis had been given, all they were left with was a list of organisations to turn to for help.
