The electricity of every living thing : a woman's walk in the wild to find her way home

Summary: In anticipation of her 38th birthday, Katherine May set out to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path. She wanted time alone, in nature, to understand why she was having so much trouble coping with everyday life; why motherhood had been so overwhelming and isolating; and why the world felt full of expectations she couldn't meet. She was also reeling from a chance encounter with a voice on the radio that sparked her realization that she might be autistic. And so began a trek along the ruggedly beautiful path by the sea that takes readers through the alternatingly frustrating, funny, and enlightening experience of re-awakening to the world around us. This sees Katherine come to terms with what it would mean to be autistic, leading her to re-evaluate her life so far--with a much kinder, more forgiving eye. We bear witness as she forms a new understanding that finally allows her to be different rather than simply awkward, arrogant, or unfeeling. The physical and psychological journeys of this inspiring book become inextricably entwined, and as Katherine finds her way across the untamable coast, we learn alongside her how to find our way back to our own true selves.