Cluttered House, Cluttered Mind

Originally posted on Themestream
My apartment is a scary place.

I just took some ankle socks off my television a few minutes ago. There’s a mountain of mail sitting on my dining room table (so-called because it’s in the dining room – no other reason), and my bank account is currently empty. Good thing tomorrow is payday.

I have several things going on in my life that have escalated to crisis status because I have trouble dealing with them. I know this is due to the wiring in my head to some extent, that there are others who don’t have these problems, and don’t have to try and figure out how to clean up the mess.

And yet, I don’t wish my brain was any different.

Some have speculated that Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison and Ludwig von Beethoven were ADD. Posthumous diagnosis can’t be considered accurate by any means, and diagnosis of ADD really requires the presence of the “afflicted.” It’s kinda neat to consider it, though.

Their diagnosis is based partially on anecdotal evidence – notes from loved ones, teachers, news stories, etc. Einstein failed math. Edison was considered unteachable by his early instructors. Beethoven was known for his erratic moods. All of these men created something that was new.

Beethoven’s music is still performed, almost 200 years after his death. He was by far not the only composer in his time, but he is one of the few considered a master. Edison gave us a method of lighting our homes without fire. Not the only inventor, but one of the few who had such a tremendous impact on our lives. Einstein brought physics to an entirely new level. His famous theory of relativity has not yet been successfully refuted. Until we are able to attain light-speed, I doubt it will.

They thought “outside of the box.”

Being able to see something that wasn’t apparent before is a wonderful attribute. It’s helped me resolve problems in my job and in my life. I may have difficulty with organization and the administrative tasks, but I do come up with interesting solutions to previously unsolvable issues.

According to statistical records, prisons have a disproportionate number of people diagnosed with ADD. Our resumes are usually full of varied experiences. We tend to get into more accidents, have more injuries and get divorced more often than the average population.

People with ADD tend to take risks.

A risk could be something as simple as talking in front of a crowd with a new idea, or jumping off a cliff with only the ocean to break your fall. Part of the reason we have such full resumes is we may leave a job more quickly than others. I’ve been with my current employer since November of 1998 – almost 2 years. That’s the longest I’ve worked for one company, not counting the dining hall in college. I left my previous job with no other job lined up. That’s not unusual for a person with ADD.

A risk can also involve imagining possibilities and putting them to paper. Leonardo da Vinci could see that man would fly. He could grasp the principles needed to do it. He couldn’t quite manage the problem of power, but he got farther than any before him. He took chances with his life. His explorations of the human body and of flight could have gotten him burned as a witch.

I’m thankful my mind works like theirs did.
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Learn More About It
Positive Books on ADD – from Born To Explore. A list of positive books about children with ADD.
The ADD Adult Workbook – from ADD on About
ADD Traits in Famous People – also from Born To Explore
Grateful for Gratitude – from Hyperthink Ink. Another positive look at the things that make up ADD.