I will start this post by quoting a wise woman I met in London, Ontario, in 1996, “Like it, or lump it,”… and thank you for the man you played a part in raising; he is a keeper.

Hey, I am back! I took a typical ADHD hiatus.  These are not planned but seem to occur pretty regularly over the years. So, in true ADHD fashion, I should be good for a few posts before disappearing again…lol. The past few weeks have reminded me who I am and who my people are, and thank you for accepting me, the good, the bad and the ugly, for who I am without judgment. No names. You know who you are. To the others, I do not need you to question or judge me, I do it enough myself and I am often tougher on myself than the average person, its part of my ADHD.

I had some friends visit last weekend. They expressed their enjoyment of this blog, how it normalized many things for them and others they know, and how proud of me they were. This meant a lot to me because I have always struggled with my role in friendships.  I have often felt like the outlier, the last kid picked in gym class. The irony of it is, the one person who was most vocal with me about their feelings is a person that when I met them in university I never thought liked me much. This is a thought I have never shared and they know who they are. I need you to know your words last weekend, wine induced or nit meant so much to me. Thank you so much. This group of people have chosen me for over twenty years, still do and I continue to I struggle with why. So, their reassurance is priceless.  I thank you all for that, and although I may not always say or show it, I value you. Again, you know who you are.

I am me.  It is the only way I know to be. This is only sometimes good; I, like everyone, have issues, but I am too old and set in my ways to change. My ADHD is part of who I am, it does not define me but understanding it helps me understand myself.  My ADHD contributes to my reactivity and the lack of filter from my brain to my mouth. My friends are of similar age, so they know what they are getting into when they choose to be friends with me. I am sorry if I hurt peoples feelings, it is never intentional but I cannot lie, its a curse. One thing I can say is that I am honest. I tell it like it is.  It is a package deal and one of the downfalls of being friends with me. Sorry, not sorry.

Do not get me wrong. I am getting better at thinking before I speak but in truth the thought does eventually come out. My job requires me to be honest and not to toot my own horn; but I am really good at my job. I have a love/hate relationship with it, but more a love.  It’s different every day. I meet so many people and feel it is evolving to include my passion for ADHD research and support.  I do not have special ADHD training other than living with ADHD since childhood and fell into ADHD research while working on my Masters. It’s a passion, and we know what that means for people with ADHD…it is beginning to consume my life and I love it.