Running a business is hard. Running a business while autistic? Even harder. Running a business while autistic and trying to have a moment of peace (or passion) with your partner? Basically impossible when your upstairs neighbor has decided to turn your ceiling into a subwoofer—or an audition tape for an adult film.
Let me paint you a picture: You finally carve out some rare personal time with your partner. Maybe you’re trying to have a meaningful conversation, maybe you’re just trying to unwind after a long day of entrepreneurship, or maybe—just maybe—you’re hoping for some quality time. You know, the kind of quality time that brings couples closer together (or at least keeps the stress levels down).
But no. Not in this household. Because just as things start to get interesting, BOOM—here comes the bass. Not just any bass, but the kind that shakes the walls, the floors, and your very will to live. And if it’s not the surround sound system rattling your bones, it’s him—our upstairs neighbor, who, despite being quite elderly, apparently has more stamina than we do.
Now, don’t get me wrong—I’m all for people enjoying themselves at any age. Good for him. Really. But when he had the audacity to complain about us being “a bit loud” in the bedroom, only for us to be subjected to his late-night adventures, it felt a little unfair. You’d think at his age he’d be more into early nights and a nice cup of tea, but no—our ceiling is practically a witness to his second (or possibly third?) youth.
So now we’re sitting there, staring at each other, unsure whether to laugh, cry, or apply for noise-cancelling headsets on prescription. It’s not that we’re prudes. It’s not even that we mind a bit of background noise (autistic sensitivities aside, we’re adaptable folks). But when your neighbor’s idea of a good time involves a Dolby Atmos Experience one minute and an R-rated vocal performance the next, you start to wonder—does this man ever take a break?
The best part? The council won’t do anything. Apparently, it’s fine for him to blast his subwoofer at all hours, and it’s also perfectly okay for him to scream like he’s starring in a romance novel gone wrong. But when we so much as raise our voices in frustration or, heaven forbid, enjoy our own private moments? Oh no, that’s unacceptable. That’s when the council suddenly finds the energy to hand out warnings.
Honestly, at this point, we should start billing the guy for the therapy sessions we’ll need just to recover from the awkwardness. Or, better yet, send him a passive-aggressive playlist—The Sound of Silence, You’re So Vain, and maybe a few whale songs for subtlety.
In the meantime, we’ll continue running our business, balancing our sensory overload, and attempting to reclaim our personal time—preferably without the backing track of Fast & Furious: The Bedroom Chronicles echoing through the ceiling.
And if the council ever decides to intervene? Well, we’ll believe it when we see it. Or, more accurately, when we hear the sweet, sweet sound of peace and quiet.
#AutismLife #EntrepreneurLife #NoisyNeighbors #HousingStruggles #CouncilFails #NeurodivergentBusiness #LifeWithAutism #SmallBusinessOwner #RelationshipStruggles #SoundproofingNeeded #AwkwardMoments
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