Well, I've pulled a couple of 60-hour weeks, and the tension is starting to build in the office. My thoughts have been pretty disjointed lately, so it can be pretty tough to put down coherent words.
I am one of those adult people with ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder). I know that the whole concept is blown out of proportion in most of the Western World (which is where I live), but I am one of the actual, honest-to-God, full blown cases.
ADD isn't something you have as much as something you are, or so it's been said. Lately I've been doing a bit of reading about adults with ADD. The reactions vary pretty widely. Some people are ashamed, some are living in constant fear of making mistakes, and some say they wouldn't dream of trading what they are for what everyone says the rest of the world is.
As for me, I take the good with the bad. Having a brain that runs counterclockwise has its advantages. It makes problem solving easier, especially with people that are used to doing a thing the same way for years. It makes me look like a genius. It also has the advantage of making me fairly creative, a good musician, and I have had the opportunity to retain a good number of childlike qualities that many people lose by their early 20s, such as an insurmountable sense of wonder and a complete lack of dignity.
There are disadvantages as well, don't get me wrong. Every few months I'll take a wrong turn down a one-way street I've been driving down for years. I forget to shave once about every other week. If you tell me a list of things to do, about the best I'll be able to do is remember the first item, that there is, indeed, a list, and you are the one to keep running back to for the others items on the list.
I forget important things that I need to carry with me, such as my wallet, which I left behind today, or important paperwork, or the occasional important article of clothing. Once I got all the way to the parking lot at work before I realised I was in my undershirt.
The hardest part, though, is knowing what my wife has to put up with. I forget to pay bills. I forget to write down withdrawls from the bank, or the occasional cheque. Sometimes I have to look at my driver's license to see when my birthday is. I can be a frustrating person to have to share a life with. I'm still not exactly sure why she does it...
Well, I think I'm all written out on that subject for now. My mind has wandered again, and I can't get it back on track. Something about a snack food I was just having, and then it jumped to a thought about someone I know that drinks too much coffee.
I'd better sign off, before someone gets hurt.