Last week, I looked up the phrase “Neurodivergent.” I’ve started seeing this term used on social media and felt the need to become more informed. Having never come across this phrase during my clinical Social Work studies, I was surprised to learn that it was coined in 1998 and refers to people whose brains develop or work differently. As a nonmedical term, its accuracy is broad and is applied to a wide range of disorders such as Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia.

As a child, I was diagnosed with ADHD, but went untreated. My mother, a nurse and armchair psychologist, did not believe in neurobehavioral disorders. Her opinion was that my actions and reactions were all conscious and therefore controllable. I knew that there was a reason I couldn’t pay attention or sit still, but I was a kid and couldn’t put it into words. Since I couldn’t explain it, I was always in trouble.

By the time I became an adult, I was sure of two things. (1) I thought different from all the other normal kids; and (2) I needed to learn psychology to figure out what was going on in my head to help others. I knew I wasn’t alone, I just needed to figure out the meaning of the mind and behavior.

Had someone explained to the mother of that blind neurodivergent child the reasons for the behavior, she might have got it. She might have let me get the help I needed. I probably wouldn’t have had to work four times as hard as the other kids just to get by.

This year, I resolve to make no resolutions. This will be a new year and I will make the best of it in whatever ways present themselves. The idea of making promises to improve just because it’s a new year doesn’t work because, if you don’t’ see an immediate payoff, you lose your determination. Resolving to do better and to take advantage of whatever comes your way is better as it’s open to anything and everything being a success. Resolving to have no resolution, in this case, is in a way saying I’m freeing myself to be my personal best.

When I was a podcaster, I did it for fun. I wasn’t about making money, changing people’s opinions, or even building an audience. If I wasn’t having fun it wasn’t worth doing. Today, as a listener, it seems like the hosts are all about making money with their sub-par performances.

One of my favorite shows is all about the merchandise. During an hour-and-a-half program there are at least 4 ad spots, and each is either him shilling for some corporation or hawking his own branded crap. Yes, I know he does the show to pay his bills, but if I hear one more Geico commercial, “DO you own… Do you rent,” I might just unsubscribe.

Maybe I should get back into the game. I’ve tried a few times, but life just keeps getting in the way. I know I’m good and could keep the party going. I just don’t know where I will find the time.

Due to the COVID-19 increase, health officials are telling all of us to return to our semi-lockdown life. Personally, I never left it. I have been locked down for exactly eight months. And that time has been eight months of pure hell.

Due to my health, I am considered high risk. I have high blood pressure, diabetes, and according to my friends the “immune system of a toddler.” Any doctor that looks at me wants to put me on so many pills, even Michael Jackson’s physician is saying ‘God… Enough is enough.” And yet, I have stayed healthy.

So, while the new world order government is restricting the freedoms of those who felt safe enough to go back into their shells, I’m just sitting over here chilling. Yes, I have gone out twice in the past week to see my family, but the group has been spread out and there has only been seven of us in the house.

I plan to see the rest of my family at thanksgiving. The group will also be no more than 10 strong, and the house is huge, so distance is a non-issue. Besides, this group will include my mother and I haven’t seen her in nearly a year.

That’s my update, for what its worth. I hope you folks who start to go nuts again, take care of yourselves. Practice distancing, and please use all the tools we have in 2020 to reach out and stay social.

Mahalo!

When I lived down town RVA, I used taxis as a primary way to get to work. Over that time I got to be good friends with the drivers and the biggest bummer was losing that connection when I moved out into the county.

Today, I used Lyft to vote and my driver was one of my favorite taxi drivers. She was always friendly and today was no exception. Even though we hadn’t seen each other in nearly four years, she knew me and handled that right like a champ. And you know I tipped well.

I’ve just heard that Mercury retrograde starts today and ends on November 3, and that gives me zero comfort. The event, which has long been associated with professional, financial, and logistical chaos in astrology circles, is blamed for everything from missed flights and crashed computers to workplace tensions and broken household appliances. As my life is already a prime example of a cluster-F, the next few weeks is likely to be a misery.

During this pandemic quarantine I have had a lot of time to think. Some of my thoughts have been dark and not worthy of sharing with the world, but some are pretty funny. The hard part for me was getting them together in a list.
One of my friends posted a list and damned if they aren’t everything I’ve been thinking. So I present, the stolen list. And no I don’t feel bad about sharing it as she stole it herself.
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Names have power. They help define you as a person, unlock doors in social situations, and give insight into your personal history. The choice of a name should not be taken lightly, as the child must cope with it all through their life, unless they take the time and money to legally change it. So, if you name your child Phineas Howell-Rockefeller Jones, please don’t’ be shocked if people ask you about why you chose something so hoity-toity. Especially if your best friends call you “Punkie”.
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It feels like work has ruled my life for the past few months. The routine is gotten up early; do the job of two people for eight hours; come home mentally exhausted; maybe eat dinner and pass out in front of the television. I haven’t had the time to do much of anything else.
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