“I wish I could’ve lived my life without making any wrong turns. But that’s impossible. A path like that doesn’t exist. We fail. We trip. We get lost. We make mistakes. And little by little, one step at a time, we push forward. It’s all we can do.”

Natsuki Takaya

Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaka, is a long manga series, but completely worth the investment. I highly recommend it.

A quick summary for you: Tohru Honda, a young girl with the most positive outlook on life and a kind word for everyone, faces her greatest challenge: life without her mom. After a car accident she must make her way on her own. She stumbles into the lives of the Sohma family, who are plagued by a curse. They transform into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac!

This is a perfect example of fantasy stories at their best, and not overwhelmed by the fantastical elements. They just serve to highlight the struggles we all face.

“I don’t think of my autism as misfortune. You may be stuck, your suffering may be ongoing, but time flies on.” – Naoki Higashida

“When we know we are loved, the courage we need to resist depression and sadness wells up inside us.” – Naoki Higashida

Fall down 7 times Get up 8 by Naoki Higashida

The reason I jump  by Naoki Higashida