The End of One Ride. The Beginning of Another.
WARNING: This column contains sarcasm, humor, and a bit of wit. Just a bit.Being launched into the temporary spotlight of Blogger's Blogs of Note has been a fun ride and a great way to end the first year of this column. I have had my words read by thousands of people and I have met others who, like me, laugh a bit at our ADD selves as we bumble about through life. I'm not alone after all, and that is a wonderful feeling. I've also been introduced to various viewpoints which have given me reason to look at old problems in a new light. Unfortunately, a very vociferous minority disagrees with me. I don't take issue with their opposite viewpoint. I just don't think much of their debating tactics. Mostly they've "cleverly" quoted my words back at me, or misquoted them back at me as is usually the case. Sometimes, though, they tell me what I "really" mean. In fact, this minority doesn't really read my words as much as try to read my mind and decide what type of person I am with 900 words or less a week. It's not quite unlike being a guest on the Psychic Pets Network.
Take for instance last week's column. Apparently the ability to blurt out embarrassing things in public is a vital freedom of speech. And here I was thinking that saying embarrassing things was, well, embarrassing. Silly me. Now I know the next time I offend people when discussing inappropriate subject matter I should care little for their feelings, or my career prospects, and instead tout the virtues of the AD/HD mind as an advanced, superior brain that has little time to trifle with piddley things like social graces. That'll go over well in the board room. Don't want to succeed in the board room? Then how about getting a date for Friday? You'll find your "free speech" might maroon you at home again.
To be skimmed and then judged without being understood is a plight I accept when publishing my work publicly for the world to read, but that doesn't make the process any easier to bear. I work hard to express myself here. I push through the ADD fog and all the distractions to post a regular column. To be misunderstood so completely is very annoying. It's as if some people skim my column for keywords that trigger whatever is their favorite pet peeve.
"Did he just say 'peeve'? I hate progressive librarians against free rollerblading. Their list of pet peeves is oppressive. He must be a progressive librarian! Hey, Douglas, how dare you ban Harry Potter!"
To all of which I say "Huh?"
That being said, instead of focusing on the few who misunderstand my humor, or column, or my approach to disability as a whole I want to focus on the dozens of people who have enriched my life over the past two weeks. To you I say, "Thank you".
One of the reasons I started this blog was to work out my feelings about my disabilities and to learn how to discuss them with humor. I was tired of being bitter. Another reason I began this blog was to connect with other like-minded people, perhaps to teach, perhaps to learn. We didn't have to reinvent the wheel. There was a lot we could learn from each other in a positive discourse. I was tired of feeling alone. The third reason I started this blog was to learn to be a better writer and to test myself. I passed the tests and I haven't grown tired of writing yet. I believe that I have reached all three goals.
I'm all about goals. I'm so excited today because I finished my coloring book by my birthday deadline last Friday that I'm still on cloud nine even though I'm sick with the flu. You can listen to the nay-sayers and feel bad about yourself, or you can take your life in your own hands and make something of it. I'm not there yet, but I will get there. I'm determined. Disabilities for me are now simply obstacles. Ever since I stopped feeling sorry for myself and started knocking these obstacles down one by one I have liked myself better and been prouder of my achievements. Vanity? No. I simply won't settle for mediocrity, and I believe I can master myself, even with AD/HD, Depression, and Chronic Motor Tic Disorder. I had hoped to achieve more by the age of 39, but I will not give up.
This is my path through life. I'm sharing it with you. If you can learn from it, then wonderful. If it's not your cup of tea, then move on. Don't spoil things for the people who do get it or who are needing somebody out there saying "You have the power within yourself to change your life, even without medication," or more importantly, "You are not a loser."
I'm not a self-professed leader; I'm just this guy with disabilities. By next Tuesday I will have dropped off the Blogs of Note list–the ride will be over. It will be interesting to see what type of community I am left with once that happens, but I'm ready for the new year. The big FOUR OH. Bring it on. I have more goals to meet.
technorati tags: ADD, AD/HD, ADHD, Chronic Motor Tic Disorder, Chronic, Motor, Tic, Depression, Disorder, Disability, Coping Strategies, Determination, Goals
Comments
Best wishes for achieving your goals in 2006
Dave
I am raising an AD/HD child and when I read your post I felt a little pang of hope. His therapist says she sees a lot of him in me...suggesting maybe mom is a little ADD?... but we haven't explored that further yet. I get so frustrated when he gets frustrated when he has problems. As a person with ADHD what would you say the best thing is I can do for my son? What would he appreciate the most from his mom. Patience is a gimme, I know I need to be patient, I try my best. The thing that gets me is he is so stinkin' smart! He really is, yet he can't concentrate, focus, or sit still long enough for the teachers to realize this. I imagine they see some of it... but they don't know all the wonder that is my son.
Anyway, rambling on here.... hope to hear from you soon and if you would rather you can email me at loneprincess76@gmail.com. I would appreciate any advice you have to offer me. Thank you!!
dance to the beat of your own cow-bell and damn the music!
I am so impressed by your candor and insight and your diligence! I started reading your blog thinking you were some absent minded 30-something like so many of my friends. Turns out you have opened my eyes to the possibility that some of my friends may struggle with similar problems and that I might want to consider being a bit less critical of them. Thank you for that.
Good luck to you, and stop by my blog anytime!
by the way, how'd you find out that your blog was on blogs of note?
Anyways... I started to read your posts and I had to bookmark your blog immediately. I can relate to what you are writing about AD/HD and ADD.
I was diagnosed having MBD = minimal brain dysfunction as a child. That used to be some sort of a "label" that was used in the country where I am from before the medical terms AD/HD and ADD came into picture in the 1990's.
I don't know if I have adult AD/HD or ADD because I haven't seen a doctor about my condition as an adult. I haven't had any medication and the only type therapy I had was that I was forced to go on piano lessons. The main reason for it was to balance the left and right motority or something like that. I have always struggled at school in subjects such as math and at some sports.
You posted somewhere on the blog about having unfinished projects... that sounded sooo familiar. I wonder if I am going to get any of them done? And putting things on hold. I am expert on that. For instanse, when I was going to have to do a report for school, I purposely did it the day before the due date. I needed the adrenaline rush that came along with panic or having a deadline. That worked for some odd reason.
I hope you will continue to post your columns here. I for one will be reading them. I have experienced myself how cruel people on the Internet can be. I used to be a member of one online community and ended up trusting wrong kind of people. I thought I was making friends but ended up being backstabbed really badly. That didn't help to my issues of trust with people. But that's another story. Just kind of reminds of the situation you have here where people tell they know the real you. Ok, enough rambling on my part.
Greetings from snowy Finland!
anon ~ G'day yourself! Welcome to the blogsea. Grab a surfboard and catch a wave. Blogger.com has a help link in your dashboard. They have all sorts of faqs that will point you in the right direction, and if those fail they have tech support that actually answer emails. Those guys are great. Good luck!
Dave ~ One-by-one. It's the only way I have found success. Feels limiting sometimes, but if I want to accomplish anything there is no better way to stay focused. I have bigger plans for myself this year before I hit 40, so there's no room for bitterness. It breaks out like a rash from time to time, but I think I've finally got it in control. Thanks for the well wishes! Good luck with your own goals in 2006.
~Miss Kit ~ I am floored everyday with the amount of comments I receive, especially when compared to how quiet things were around here even three weeks ago. So don't think my blog is the typical one. Getting noticed as a blog of note has been an unexpected pleasure.
Thanks for your kind words and I wish you all the best in finding your own voice. You aren't a loser. Just remember that. Thinking ill of ourselves triggers depression and feeds a vicious cycle of self-loathing and underachievement. That's what I found, anyway.
Bhanu ~ Keep clinging, Bhanu. I know it's a drag to fail - I've sure done my fair share of it -but sitting in the dark feeling sorry for ourselves isn't any fun! ;) So you keep struggling and I'll keep struggling. Our luck is bound to change with our efforts.
I think that when people try to read between the lines, they err more when they are disrespectful. Contempt has a way of coloring our world view and poisoning it. Comes from bitterness. And I used to be there, but I'm glad I'm not in that space anymore. Thanks for the kind words. Happy New Year to you, too.
Bekah ~ I think you just helped me decide what my first column of the year will be about, Bekah. I'm struggling with this issue, too, with my first grader. She hasn't been diagnosed (and I am reluctant to get that diagnosis - don't want school pressure to medicate her) but she shows all the telltale signs of AD/HD. There are some things I've figured out, and a lot of things I haven't yet. If you don't mind, I'd like to use your comment as a springboard.
Watching this precious, intelligent, 7 year old start the name calling process on her own (I don't call her names, and stopped calling myself names by the time my first daughter was half her age), and hating herself for making stupid mistakes breaks my heart. I'm determined to help her the way others were not able to help me because I understand what she's going through.
Anon ~ When you're ready please log in and post from your blogger account so people can dig up your blog. Then, when you are a full blown egomaniac like myself, you can also include a link to your blog on every post. LOL (I'll be honest. It was quite the threshold for me to cross to start inviting people back to my web pages.)
~Douglas
~=~
http://thesplinteredmind.blogspot.com - Fighting neurological disabilities with attitude and humor
ScarletSphinx ~ Nice imagery!
Trish ~ Thank you, Trish. My youngest daughter has Cerebral Palsy. I worry so much about her, even though the CP is only mild. I am just like you in that regard. Lots of prayers and hope. Good luck.
Frank Gilroy ~ Welcome aboard!
tethys ~ Thank you for your comments. Although I hope to reach out to other people with neurological maladies such as myself, I also hope to help people who don't have these problems to understand them better. I had failed so utterly time after time trying to explain these issues to those who didn't understand them that I thought writing about them might help me do that better. Thanks for taking the time to let me know that I might be on the right track after all. Good luck with your blog. I'll be sure to drop by.
You aren't mistaken. I've spent a lot of time discussing AD/HD here over the past few weeks but Depression is a fairly common topic for me as well. Depression can go hand in hand with AD/HD. In particular, I experience depression after success - a peculiarly AD/HD phenomenom. It comes from the let down I experience once the hyperfocus event is over and I flounder for focus again. I've managed to reduce its effects from two to three weeks to only two to three hours now. But it's taken me years to accomplish that.
As for tackling the differences between the different neurological maladies you mentioned, you are confused because they are all related, with depression being the common denominator. (If somebody could find some links for Zola I'd appreciate it. I'm running out of time today). Bravo, for admitting the problem. I know some people who won't admit they have a problem and they continue bumbling through life. Admitting the problem is the first step towards controlling it. I'm sorry your treatment didn't work out for you. Try a cognitive behavioral therapist. I've had good luck with one. I recommend them.
Dancing Crow ~ Interesting idea. I use the new abbreviation "AD/HD" to denote both ADD & ADHD. The two are related, but the difference is the hyperactivity, obviously. Here's a simplified way to look at their difference: If one kid has ADD and another has ADHD and they are sitting in the same, dull, boring classroom, the kid with ADD will be quietly daydreaming and the kid with ADHD will be fidgeting in his seat and pulling the pigtails of the girl in front of him. Neither is paying attention to the events around them. Both are hyperfocusing on something that interests them to the point they don't hear their teacher call their name the first time.
I do have depression. Some of that is depression after success - related to ADD as I explained above, and some of that is just full blown clinical depression. Both are a pain in the butt.
Miles ~ Now there's a glass half-full reply! LOL And you're right. I have reminded myself of that during the more strained moments when the comments seemed to be discursive instead of discoursive. I reminded myself as well that the bad can come along with the good and that there were far more good comments than bad. Unless I remind myself to be positive minded, I have a tendency to hyperfocus on the negatives.
Leah ~ Thanks!
Anon ~ Minimal Brain Dysfunction is the absolute worst label. The trouble with labels is that although they attempt to identify they also carry baggage. Some people have responded negatively to my "embracing" the term disability. I think they go too far, but I understand their sentiment. Labels in psychiatry can have harmful side effects to self-esteem. I don't mind "disability" because when I remove the "dis" through my efforts and actions I am left with "ability".
Thanks for posting. I look forward to reading your comments in the future.
Being misunderstood is part and parcel of being 'different'.
Doesn't really matter which area of life your different in. I have several. Do many differences constitute a 'freak'?
Then a freak I am. So what, eh? Do get exhausted overexplaining myself sometimes!!
Hope u recover from flu soon.
Use my comment as you wish. I am looking forward to reading those posts. Thank you.
I just wanted to answer your comment on why this blog is so popular. I can't really speak for others, but this is what I think:
What makes this blog so popular is that he writes things that we can relate to. Whether we are ADD ADHD ourselves or we live with someone with that disability. On some level we (the readers) can relate to many of the things he says, and yes, the humor in it is nice. It is nice to know that someone else is going through what we are (not that I thought I was alone) but it's nice, and his attitude towards it is somewhat refreshing. It sure beats the attitudes the teachers have towards ADHD.
Sol, are you trying to say I'm misunderstood because I'm different!?! What ever made you think I was "different"? LOL
Maybe it's time to change my user photo...yeah, that'll fix everything. ;)
RebelDream ~ Thank you.
staci ~ I'm glad to have you along for the journey. Hopefully I won't let you down.
Alyssa ~ Your comment made me laugh out loud. I'm so glad this column is a goal of mine so I can't be accused of procrastinating over here. :)
Bekah ~ Thank you. I sat down and had a heart to heart with that daughter yesterday in preparation for next week's column. We talked about her teacher and how grumpy she is. We talked about impulses and how to control them. I also told her I was going to write a blog about her but wouldn't embarrass her. We just sat by the Christmas tree and cuddled. She's a good kid and I hope to not screw up her upbringing. ::)
Anon ~ You mention that the depression can return at any moment, and you are right. I hope that nobody misunderstands my intent here. I do not pretend to hold all the answers to "cure" my neurological troubles, or yours as well. But as you've also pointed out, I like to laugh at them. I find laughter helps me have the positive attitude I need to continually push against the ADD wall. Otherwise, depression gets a toehold and then settles in. Thank you for your comments.
Mark B. ~ I like to believe that my humorous take on life is resonating with people. But I also believe that turning this blog into a weekly column contributes significantly to it's current success. The "bandwagon of followers", as you put it, didn't arrive until my blog was marked as a "Blog of Note" on blogger.com. It remains to be seen how "popular" this column will still be after I am no longer on the "Blogs of Note" list. I'm just happy to have connected with so many people while on that list. Will it be catalyst to further success? I hope so.
Bekah ~ Thank you, Bekah. I'm a little uncomfortable thinking of my column as "popular", to be honest. But it is wonderful to have so many people leaving comments. I really enjoy the personal anecdotes and the testimonies of positive thinking and even laughter as a changing force in their lives. Some people have bared their souls here, and I wish I could help them. These problems are so complicated that it's disingenuous to assert that laughter is the only medicine one needs. But optimism is a crucial tool to combat depression and failure, and laughter helps build optimism. I hope that others continue to laugh at myself along with me while feeling better about themselves as well. We aren't losers, though it can feel like that at times.
I am a mother of 2 ADHD boys one who is severaly ADHD and I do believe that I am ADHD so you can imagine that its really a hoot in my house. Plus we have 3 Siberian Huskys who are the ADHD dogs of the dog world. I do not know how my poor husband and daughter stands us. We are loud and obnoxous (and I can't spell, wait none of the ADHD people in my house can). Outside of the spelling issues we are intellegent individuals. Just had to make focus on anything for to long. Anyway before I started running off at the fingers, I wanted to say that I enjoy your writings and hope that you continue on, I get it and I like it!!
Thanks,
Carol L.
www.astitchandaprayer.blogspot.com
We're doomed, my friend..to a life of standing out from the crowd.
Might as well learn to love it, eh??
I look forward to reading your epxieriences, hopefully to learn from them, and maybe share mine in return.
After I read your blog the other week I had a talk with my son (11 years old) about what I read and told him that I felt enlighted. I shared the superfocus perspective I read about here and he agreed that he certainly does that. His ability to superfocus means dinner is usually cold by the time he gets to it - but the bionicle (type of lego toy) creations he puts together are amazing. And is a hot dinner really that important? We agreed that it isn't ~ and I can relax a bit. Your positive reinfocement is carrying over to us in the blog sea.
Thank you again for sharing your life here. Books about ADHD can be written by anyone - but your blog can only be written by you. And I appreciate every word I read here. Thanks again ~ and Happy New Year!
WOw great site!!
i was wondering if you might like to exchachnge links?
i am going to go ahead a link you, but if you could please just let me know if you are interested.
thanks
I bookmarked your wonderful blog, and hope to come back regularly.
I hope 2006 is good to you!
Happy New Year!
:)
Just to add up to the greetings: Yes, I also find your BLOG great. I've been reading it for a couple of weeks now and, even if I haven't been given a diagnose, I can tell that we share enough to understand.
Is it really a place called Utopia in Utah??
Mood disorders, anxiety, depression, ADD, ADHD, "Addictions", Bi-Polar disorder... seem to have so many points of contact! Surely in this world all this ¿uniquenesness?, like others, have all the potential to make you feel like failure. uhhh... creepy word in this world is failure.
I agree with you that a one-day, one-thing (altough I don't think you have used this terms) at a time program, is the best way to fight back what otherwise can become a serious experience of impotence and rejection. Not surprise all AA, NA, SA, WA, NBA, NFL groups work in a "just for today" basis.
I wonder why you haven't addressed the spiritual part of a recovery program. I wonder if you yourself consider this issue. Altough after seeing the risponse of some fo those allergic to difference regarding less spiny subjects perhaps it's just better to leave that weird stuff for more intimate spaces.
Again congratulations for your blog. You give, you share, you make laugh, you defeat fear, you're open and generous... At least in 900 lines of you that I know. Thank you!
Have a Happy year and my best regards,
V
I believe that being...the state of accepting & living who you are ...whenever...and wherever...and whatever that means...is the key to relieving suffering. Further, accepting others' state of being, just as they are, is the key to relieving their suffering.
This is my first time on your blog, and I just wanted to say that it looks like you are indeed...being..and accepting.
And it's wonderful that you're sharing your experience with others, offering what you have in the way of guidance, too.
Happy New Year!
KristieSue ~ Thanks for the kind words. I do write this column for myself, but I feel complete when the column connects with people such as yourself.
Jaded ~ Yeah, I wonder that all the time. They're not very good at it either. Don't I write enough without people needing to read between the lines? LOL
Libby ~ Anytime you're feeling down come on by. I'm sure there's plenty going on over here to help yourself feel better in comparison. ;)
Anonymous ~ You're the second person to post about hypothyroidism in the past week so I looked up the symptoms. Bless your heart, you have a lot to go through, don't you? I wish you all the best with your blog. Anytime you want to share relevant experiences here please feel free to do so.
Chocoholic ~ You enjoy mental thrust and parry? I do, too. Perhaps too much. I spent the first part of my 20's learning to use words like a weapon, giving new meaning to the term rapier wit. I'm a lot more subdued these days, but hopefully I can continue to write in a clever vein and keep you entertained. LOL
catsname ~ That is something that has always puzzled me. All the best to you as well.
Mary P. ~ Glad to have you around, Mary. I'm not sure how helpful my column will be to your nephew. The "I can't" philosophy is a terribly cyclical one, filled with self-fullfilling prophesies of doom and failure. It's not a cycle that can be shaken from outside efforts - at least not easily. He'll have to grow tired of the cycle on his own and desire change more than the same old same old. Still, I wish you luck. If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion, you might be better off trying to open a discourse with him about specific columns I write instead of just hoping he reads something here and sees the light. I wish you luck with it. Be sure to let us know how you do. "I can't" is a terrible message to believe.
Happy New Year and take care!
Lion's Cub ~ I'm not really qualified to comment on bipolar disorder. I've been diagnosed with it once, but I, and many other doctors, disagreed with the diagnosis. However, I do understand depression. I wish you luck learning to manage it. I've got it regulated to an occasional sadness. ;) As for forgetting to visit the site...that's what RSS and subscription is for! :) There's a link on the right that allows you to submit your email address. You'll only receive a notice when I post a new column. I'm violently allergic to spam and I've tested this service for weeks. I can assure you - no spam. Go ahead and sign up. Good luck with your family.
Gena ~ I check my comments often, sometimes daily, but I don't always have time to respond to them. "Honest and Carefully blunt". I like that. Thank you, Gena. I can't say I'm always tactful. Life doesn't allow me a chance to edit my comments before I speak them as I can do with this column. ;) But I try.
Mom of ADHD son ~ Happy New Year to you as well. I'm glad you were able to have an open discourse with your boy. Cold dinners is something my wife lives with as well. I do try to get up there while it's still warm. I don't think he should give up. LOL
gerard ~ Thanks. I went ahead and linked back to you. Interesting blog. Thanks for bringing my attention to it.
Flora ~ Thank you. I don't think I'm so amazing, but I'm glad you do. ;)
Poetwoman ~ Well, there is a small vocal minority who skim my words and go spare on me. I don't let them get to me. Not when the majority not only seems to enjoy what I write, but understands it as well. This comments section is very humbling. Such insightful and heartfelt comments... I'm glad you dropped by.
Toni ~ You're probably just teasing me, but I was just misquoting some of the more entertaining complaints against my blog. lol I hope 2006 is good for you, too.
Fwickafwee, Taylor, starbender ~ Thank you.
Paradox ~ Advice for college...I don't know if I'm qualified for this, but here goes. Don't take more credit hours than you can honestly juggle. That was a mistake I always made. I was always in a rush and bit off more than I could chew. Despite what some may think, AD/HD is a disability and you may qualify for special tutoring which you should not be ashamed or embarrassed to take advantage of. My brother, a professor now, used tutors to help him with his language classes, if I remember correctly. His epilepsy interfered with his ability to acquire new languages.
A school councilor I spoke with used to take his studies on the go with him. He'd pace around the indoor track while reading his textbooks. I always loved that story. Figure out what works for you and do it, no matter how odd it may seem. ;)
Worse case scenario, take only the class you're having trouble with. Good luck with your studies.
Love your site. I am dyslexic and suffer from ADD, my mind dose not stop thinking. Most inventors etc are one or either, most successful business people are either one or both. On top of these things I am eccentric and do not wish to be called a normal human.
Great site keep it up
Here is my Blogger link
http://moralminded.blogspot.com/
Interesting comments. I haven't touched upon the spiritual part of recovery, not because I am not spiritual, but because I haven't exhausted all I can do before turning to the Lord again for help. There are many times I feel compelled to beseech Heavenly Father for intervention in the lives of my children, especially with my four year old who has mild but debilitating cerebral palsy, but I stopped asking for intervention in my own life some time ago. I used to ask for my disabilities to be taken from me but they weren't and I faced the fact that this was my cross to bear. Now I am more inclined to believe that I need to magnify my talents by putting them out there instead of bury them in the ground for safe keeping, to borrow a bit from the old parable.
Buddy ~ Thank you. I do my best.
Starry Lady ~ I once wasted a lot of time visiting a therapist who was a terrible time fascist. And he lectured a lot, and repeated himself. Very unpleasant. BUT he did give me one little bit of advice that has helped me immensely. He was talking about his wife one day, who had ADHD, and he mentioned in passing that she was always late because she was always trying to fit four into three. I suddenly realized that that was why I was always late, too. Even if I knew I only had 25 minutes to get somewhere, I'd still try to squeeze in one or even two additional activities because I was convinced they were easy to finish. Of course, I'd never finish them in time and would wind up being late again.
I'm glad you were only suspended. As embarrassing as that can be, you still have a job (I hope). Look over your daily routine and identify the time eaters. Think about where you can shave off unnecessary activities and try to convince your boss you've seen the error of your ways. Good luck.
Kellas ~ :)
MiYon ~ Thanks for the well wishes. Hope you drop by again.
Wendy C., Anna, Sol ~ Thank you for your comments. I appreciate you taking time to leave them.
G Alex ~ I tried to give you a chance to be cool. All you had to do was repost without the F bomb. Instead you lecture me on how to raise my children. Very funny stuff.
This is a family orientated blog. I get all manner of ages here and I like to make sure it's a clean and friendly environment. That's my right. And you should respect that since this isn't your blog. Why do your freedoms supersede mine? Because you're from a superior country? Whose the proud one now?
I've heard these arguments before and they always make me laugh. No, I'm not "proudy...so afraid of life". I look at swearing like farting in public. I suppose everybody has a right to do it out loud for the world to hear, but if you don't mind I'd rather you not do it around me.
Mark ~ Thank you, Mark. G'day to you as well. Eccentrics have been the mavericks that introduce new ideas to us for centuries. Each one of them learned how to be functional in order to bring their ideas to life. I wish everybody success in doing the same. Good luck with your ventures.
How do ya' do it, Doug Cootey?
scarletsphinx ~ In small bytes. I've decided to limit myself to 30 min. a day from now on for sanity's sake.
I don't enjoy blogs where the blogger never responds to comments. Part of the whole point of blogging is the two way communication. So, although there are a lot of comments here, I actually enjoy responding to them. Even the flame warmongers are entertaining in their own delusional way.
flame warmongers, eh Douglas? kewl expression..will use it sometime. ;)
I think you probably got to the point on the matter of spirit or the spirit that matters. Giving to others, asking for others, service, generosity... gift that gives the gift of meaning...uhhh.
To get out towards the other it's a great way to leave yourself and your problems behind you. If this way of thinking helps everyone, people with ADD/ADHD, depression, bi-polar, and other differences, should particulary keep it in mind (or somewhere else if absent!). Great coping strategy!! and more...
It takes you out of the prision of you own toughts.
Ok... enough! It seems like I know something that I really really don't know... or worse, like I have some truth to teach... wow! Non at all.
See Douglas, after all there is a Utopia, Utah!! I would love to visit but unfortunately I'm still on the battelfield of my own Distopia here in Rome.
Always my best regards,
V
PS.- I've just started my own blog, give it a look. It's weird for most as you can immagine. But I'm not that weird at all... I'm worse ;). Ahh, and I forgot to say, your critters are super cool!
My son started showing interesting behaviors from about the time that he could crawl. It was first thought to be high functioning autism, then that turned to a diagnosis of "brat", then we had him tested for ADHD, for which he tested positive. Problem was that he also tested in near genius range for IQ, and since both tend to exhibit the same behaviors, we were left wondering exactly what we were dealing with. His behaviors had become so incompatible with the school that they had considered expelling him - IN THE FIRST GRADE!! We ended up homeschooling him for several years so that he would have a chance to build some coping skills without all the added distractions before unleashing him back into the public school system. That seems to have worked wonderfully. He still is our little absent-minded professor, but he is much better able to resist the impulses to blurt, fidget, and to jump people that irritate him.
I myself have found a great friend in Post-Its. I have them EVERYWHERE. But that still does not help me with forgetting words in the middle of what I am saying - or worse yet, forgetting what I was talking about all together.
I find that with ADD, it is best to have a good sense of humor and not take yourself too seriously. That's why I love your writing so much. I look forward to reading more posts from you.
PerversoActor ~ I checked out your blog. Too bad I don't speak, Italian is it? Ancestors of mine hail from Sicily. I will make it to Italy one day. BTW, glad you like my critters. Weird enough for ya, or are they too cute? ;)
makdom ~ Don't sell yourself short. I spent 11 months developing a voice. As for nay sayers, well, they're part of the package. I am open minded, but only to constructive criticism so their comments go unheeded when they rant and rail unintelligibly.
Joni ~ Thank you. I do hope you come by again.
Sylvana ~ Brat. Wonderful diagnosis! LOL Thank you for your comments. Humor is such an odd thing. So many of us with ADD THINK we are funny when we in reality are not. Comes from missing those social cues. So I'm glad my humor is working here. It means that there's hope for me yet! Watch out high society. I may try to entertain a party near you! ;) (My wife groans in the background...)
Jaime ~ Can I be honest? I really do get excited when I discover a new anti-Douglas blog ranting about me. I thought I would be devastated, but how can I be when so many nice comments get posted here? You people are better than therapy. :) The problem is that my head doesn't fit through the doorway anymore. I'm trapped down here in my studio with my iMac. I'm afraid you're stuck with me endlessly typing away. :)