Nothing messes up routine like moving, and when I threw in the end of a long-standing relationship on top of it, my routine was in tatters and my ADHD was out of control. So much of my life was in disarray. But don't worry. At least I got an exchange.
One of the most important goals for me in setting up a new home was to eliminate old items from my previous marriage. Unless I had a strong emotional connection to that errant towel or kitchen utensil, I didn't want it around. It wasn't that they were tainted and evil; I just wanted to start fresh.
Starting fresh can be expensive.
For the first six weeks, the girls didn't use the shower in the bathroom attached to their room because we couldn't afford shower curtains for it. We shared the guest bathroom's shower. One night last month I finally had some money set aside for furnishings. I took them to Bed, Bath & Beyond to pick out their shower curtain.
They bickered over the same three curtains for one hour. I thought I was going to go mad.
When we finally made it home with shower curtains (and new bed sheets), it was late and my brain was fried from a very long day. Imagine how frustrated I was when I discovered only 11 shower rings came in the set of 12. ELEVEN! I was so irritated. My friend was waiting to go to a movie with me at that point, but I promised the girls I'd set up their shower.
My friend drove me back over there and I demanded an exchange for a new set. They asked me if I had miscounted. I took a deep breath to not bite their heads off. Miscounted? What do they take me for? An idiot? And so I got my exchange. We missed the movie, but I left that store with my head held high.
The next day I found the 12th ring attached to a bit of package on the kitchen counter under a towel by the KitchenAid Mixer.
The first thought I had was "Oh, no!". The second was "What the heck is this doing over here?", followed by "Who put this here!?" Then my last thought was "Oh. It was me." You see, the scissors were in the kitchen drawer, and I used them to snip open the package and free all "12"…except for the one on the underside that I left attached and under a towel for some reason.
The shame is that I forgot about it for three weeks until last weekend. It's a bit late to pop on over to the store and say "Oops!"
Embarrassing.
I'll probably call the store in the morning anyway, especially since my friends will read this blog and give me a hard time about it. Preventing this sort of ADHD faux pas is difficult. I was convinced that there were only 11 rings in the package. My mind boarded that train of thought in Boston and couldn't get off until Albuquerque. In the future I'll dig all over the apartment before assuming something is not included. That's what I would have done in my previous home.
It's funny how so many of my coping strategies have been turned on their ear in this move. I look forward to a stable routine in the near future. I certainly would like to avoid further humiliation at the BB&B.
What type of events disrupt your routines and play havoc with your ADHD?
Follow me on Twitter for my ADHD escapades at @SplinteredMind or my novel writing project over at @DouglasCootey. And if you're a glutton for punishment you can friend me on Facebook as well.
One of the most important goals for me in setting up a new home was to eliminate old items from my previous marriage. Unless I had a strong emotional connection to that errant towel or kitchen utensil, I didn't want it around. It wasn't that they were tainted and evil; I just wanted to start fresh.
Starting fresh can be expensive.
For the first six weeks, the girls didn't use the shower in the bathroom attached to their room because we couldn't afford shower curtains for it. We shared the guest bathroom's shower. One night last month I finally had some money set aside for furnishings. I took them to Bed, Bath & Beyond to pick out their shower curtain.
They bickered over the same three curtains for one hour. I thought I was going to go mad.
When we finally made it home with shower curtains (and new bed sheets), it was late and my brain was fried from a very long day. Imagine how frustrated I was when I discovered only 11 shower rings came in the set of 12. ELEVEN! I was so irritated. My friend was waiting to go to a movie with me at that point, but I promised the girls I'd set up their shower.
My friend drove me back over there and I demanded an exchange for a new set. They asked me if I had miscounted. I took a deep breath to not bite their heads off. Miscounted? What do they take me for? An idiot? And so I got my exchange. We missed the movie, but I left that store with my head held high.
The next day I found the 12th ring attached to a bit of package on the kitchen counter under a towel by the KitchenAid Mixer.
The first thought I had was "Oh, no!". The second was "What the heck is this doing over here?", followed by "Who put this here!?" Then my last thought was "Oh. It was me." You see, the scissors were in the kitchen drawer, and I used them to snip open the package and free all "12"…except for the one on the underside that I left attached and under a towel for some reason.
The shame is that I forgot about it for three weeks until last weekend. It's a bit late to pop on over to the store and say "Oops!"
Embarrassing.
I'll probably call the store in the morning anyway, especially since my friends will read this blog and give me a hard time about it. Preventing this sort of ADHD faux pas is difficult. I was convinced that there were only 11 rings in the package. My mind boarded that train of thought in Boston and couldn't get off until Albuquerque. In the future I'll dig all over the apartment before assuming something is not included. That's what I would have done in my previous home.
It's funny how so many of my coping strategies have been turned on their ear in this move. I look forward to a stable routine in the near future. I certainly would like to avoid further humiliation at the BB&B.
What type of events disrupt your routines and play havoc with your ADHD?
Follow me on Twitter for my ADHD escapades at @SplinteredMind or my novel writing project over at @DouglasCootey. And if you're a glutton for punishment you can friend me on Facebook as well.
