ADHD memes

My superpower has got to be pushing things off and screwing myself over in the process, despite knowing better.

Yesterday for example. My house has an issue every winter with a certain section of water pipe in the basement freezing when it gets cold. I knew saturday night it was going down to -30c (-22f) with a -41 windchill overnight but I still neglected to toss a space heater down in that spot to keep it warm overnight.

Lo and behold first thing in the morning I wake up to no running water. So I had find where my propane torch was, just to spend half an hour running around with it to thaw the lines out before I could even make coffee or properly flush the toilet.

At least now I have a space heater running down there to keep it warm again, like I did last winter, and the winter before that.

“Ok look at their eyes while they’re talking to you, stay on target. Which eye should you look at? Come on, the right, no, the left? Oh just look at their nose. But they have that big mole next to their nose. Moley moley mole, ha! Like in Austin Powers! That was a fun movie, although I wonder if it wouldn’t get canceled if it was released now… OH SHIT WHAT DID THEY SAY? Rewind? REWIND!!! We can’t rewind! Just nod and smile! Keep eye contacttttttt!!!!!!”

Oversharing without shame.

My cold, dead heart.

I can disassociate emotionally better than anyone I know, and that has saved me a lot of heartache. It also helps me make better decisions as I can evaluate complex personal issues with a little more objectivity than some.

The downside is I don't experience happiness and joy the same way others do. Extreme emotional states, either happy or sad, turn into manic episodes, so I spend about 99% of my life in state of general contentment. Having experienced more normal emotions earlier in my life, I still think this is preferable to the way most people's brains work. I know very few people who are content with their lives.

I don't have a mind palace, I have a "mind city bus". It can take lots of thoughts all over the place, but if you'd like a seat on the bus you will have to wait at your stop for the bus to arrive. Jumping out in front of it will not get you on board in the way you wanted.

I can even nod and make "m-hmm" sounds where appropriate and still be somewhere completely different in my mind!

It actually is a super power sometimes! My kids can play with all the noisy toys they want -- I don't hear it! Someone gave my kid a mini electric keyboard (like a piano) and she played that thing so much that she's actually good now and I totally tuned out the whole "bashing the keys" phase.

That or hear every word, understand you perfectly and the forget all of it the next second.