Author: autismmama
Category: Profile
I know absolutely nothing about art.
Even so, I vividly remember the day I set foot in the Chapel of the Princes at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence.
An octagonal hall.
Lapis lazuli, jasper, agate, and marble covered every inch of the walls.
The crests of Tuscan cities were masterfully pieced together in stone.
It took my breath away.
And then—strangely—I felt something deeply Japanese. A quiet harmony the Japanese call wa.
I am in Italy. Why?
My mind was completely disoriented, but my body was undeniably reacting.
It was a profound nostalgia, as though I had slipped through time into the quiet elegance of ancient Japan.
Before I even read the informational plaque, I genuinely wondered: “Did the Medici family cherish and collect Japanese art, too?”
I learned the truth later.
The Medici family truly did adore Japanese makie and lacquerware.
To this day, the Pitti Palace houses a vast collection of Japanese craftsmanship from five centuries ago.
Pietra dura—the inlay technique of arranging hard, precious stones into intricate pictures, a fiercely guarded art of the Medici.
It is said that those very artisans were left breathless by the lines of the lacquerware that had crossed the sea from Japan.
The Florentine craftsmen of five hundred years ago and I, a mere international student in the 21st century, were responding to the exact same thing, with the exact same sensation.
Not through knowledge, but through the body.
Why I Am Sharing This
I currently work in both psychiatric and general care as a Psychiatric Visiting Nurse.
I am a single mother raising LUCA, my son who navigates life with ASD, ADHD, and low muscle tone (hypotonia).
Every single day, I see so many patients and so many children.
And I realized something.
The ASD and ADHD brain responds profoundly to beautiful lines and perfect proportions.
It was the exact same visceral reaction I experienced in Florence.
A mind that grasps true beauty not through logic, but through raw sensation.
LUCA was the very same.
At two years old, he discovered on his own that the sound of a railroad crossing was a regular rhythm.
Even before he had words, he was choosing his own source of comfort.
The Medici artisans, myself in Florence, LUCA by the railroad crossing, and neurodivergent minds all over the world—
we are all responding to the same beauty.
Who I Am
I lived in Florence and Milan, Italy, for over four years.
Classical music, church organs, cobblestone streets, and the meticulous handiwork of artisans.
After returning to Japan, I walked the path to becoming a Psychiatric Visiting Nurse.
Working in psychiatric settings, I have witnessed countless moments where music reached those whose hearts could no longer be reached by words.
While raising LUCA, there were days we shared an umbrella and walked a full kilometer in the rain, just to stand by the railroad crossing.
Then, my mother was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer.
Amidst days where the limits of time are always on our minds, she continues to cheer for my channel.
“It’s okay to show our wide garden to the world,” she tells me with a smile.
I will remain in Japan until I see both my parents through to the end.
After that, LUCA and I will move overseas.
To a place where LUCA can live exactly as he is, without ever being blamed or judged.
What I Want to Do With This Channel
I want to deliver sound, light, and words for ASD, ADHD, and neurodivergent minds.
The tones of the cello and harp, brown noise, the rhythmic dinging of a railroad crossing.
Ink wash paintings of dragons and bamboo, the soft glow of an andon lantern, and a world of inlay inspired by the pietra dura of the Medici.
Sending the prayers of 500-year-old Florence from 21st-century Japan to the rest of the world.
And—
To the mother somewhere in the world, pulling her child by the hand in the pouring rain while holding back tears.
To you, who sat immobilized in your car after that conversation with the doctor.
To anyone who is blaming themselves, thinking, “My child just isn’t normal.”
Right here is a mother, a nurse, who lives with those exact same feelings.
You are not alone.
In Closing
I know absolutely nothing about art.
I can hardly read academic papers, English, or German.
But I feel it.
Beautiful lines, graceful proportions, unconditional love, and genuine prayer.
As a nurse, a mother, and a daughter, I will breathe these things into this channel.
Please, listen.
Please, whenever you feel lost, come back here.
This is a place where you do not have to do anything at all.
A single mother raising LUCA, who navigates ASD, ADHD, and low muscle tone, while working in psychiatric and general care as a Psychiatric Visiting Nurse. Has lived in Florence and Milan, Italy, for over four years. Plans to remain in Japan until seeing her parents through to the end, before moving overseas with her son.
autism-mama-diary.com
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