Compilation 1: Are You Sad?

A playlist for your sads

My 3-year-old son is autistic, and more often than not, we ask him, “how are you feeling?” His go-to answer is always “frustrated” even when he isn’t, so sometimes the questions evolve into, “are you happy?” or “are you sad?”

His echolalia has him repeating sounds, words, and phrases, and he’ll fire the question back. “Are you sad, momma?” Usually, the default answer is, “no silly, momma is happy,” but occasionally I will concede and say, “you know what, yeah, momma is sad.”

The start of 2025 has been a bummer (understatement) for so many people, with more grievances to bear on the horizon it seems. For times where you need a sit in your sad, I present to you this compilation.

Thank you for listening.