I have what?????

I've always been a little......different.  I remember being in high school and thinking I was literally out of my mind.  I tried to fix that with alcohol, drugs, theatre, art.....anything.  Never worked.  When I was in my 20's, a friend decided that I was bi-polar and sent me to her doctor, who put me on one medicine after another.....I got nuttier and nuttier the more medicine I took.  After a terrible episode in Target when I literally thought my legs where gushing blood all over the aisle (sounds insane but it's actually a pretty funny story....obviously I wasn't bleeding) I decided to throw away all medicine. 
Another time and another doctor, I was told I had severe depression.  Really?  I don't feel all that depressed so how can I be labeled as severe anything?  More medicine....more nuttiness....more throwing medicine away. 

After a few years of trying to tough it out, I saw another doctor.  She patiently listened to me....very patiently....and then handed me a piece of paper and said, 'fill this out, just for the heck of it'.  So I did.  Took me about 20 minutes, I gave it to her, she read it, looked at me and with a smile, said....'You do not have severe depression, you are not bi-polar, you are not nutty at all......you have ADD, and that is okay'. 

I have what???

She also told me that when people who have ADD do not get diagnosed correctly, they always wonder what is wrong with them and why nothing helps and that is what makes them so depressed.  And no medicine is going to help the depression if the ADD is not dealt with.

'I have what??'

So......I went to the library, got the best book on ADD I could find and read it.  I was floored by what i read.  Without telling my husband what I was reading, I said, 'listen to this description.....' and I read him 2 pages of what an ADD adult might look like.  He literally said, 'Wow.  Who wrote a book about you?'

I have ADD.

Now.....before you go getting sappy and 'I'm so sorry' on me.....ADD is not so bad, if you know you have it.  There are lot's of ways to manage.  AND.....most people who have ADD are super creative, very intelligent and can handle many things normal folks can't.  I'm not trying to sensationalize this or anything.  I'm just saying, it's not a death sentence. 

If I did not have ADD, I would never be able to run the gallery, enjoy my family, do my own art, teach a class or 2, manage 2 blogs, a facebook page, a website and an online store. (I do, of course, require help with all this, though!)

Needless to say, I get very, VERY overwhelmed at times.  But now I know how to deal with it.  And I have a very supportive family and community of friends who love me, understand me and accept me as I am.  And that makes all the difference.

So.....thanks to my ADD, here are some of the projects I was able to accomplish this week!



The beginnings of a 'How to Paint a Folk Art Face' tutorial for next week.

 

A 'Grandmother Brag Bracelet' for an old friend in my Kentucky hometown.



A cute Halloween Poem I wrote and some funky art.

Did I mention that I as soon as the weather starts to cool that I get completely obsessed with Halloween?

 Yes, completely obsessed.  That will be another blog post!
Cute little Halloween, bottlecap necklaces.

And my little poems that I do.  Gotta do more of these tonight.

So....as you can see, ADD works for me.  I hate it, I love it.  And in the end, it's not so bad.  Learning about it and understanding it is the key.  Good days, bad days.  But God made me this way for a reason.  I'm gonna be okay.