Monday, July 1, 2013

I Have no Secretary


Hey there, folks! I’m going to be completely honest with you: I don’t want to blog today. I started rambling through a paragraph or two based on one post idea, and then I quit. I’ve been busy. But more importantly, I’ve had quite a few serious posts lately, and I’m tired of being serious. My current list of ideas for future posts are serious, too. I’m almost always reflective in nature, but I don’t feel like using the brain power to sort out those reflections and share them at the moment.

Yet, my schedule has “POST” in big capital letters next to today’s date. So I’m sharing a poem that I wrote a few months ago. It has a double meaning. I’m not sure if you’ll pick up on it, depending on your experiences and knowledge, but it’s no fun if I just reveal everything before you read it. Maybe if someone asks, I’ll tell you in the comments. And the tags kind of give it away.

Let me know what you think!

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“I Have no Secretary”

My friend has a secretary.
She files his memos
In just the right place,
So he can reach them
If he needs them someday.

My friend has a secretary,
So he’s confident.
He need not fear 
That the papers he gathers
Will simply disappear.

My friend has a secretary.
She tells him the time.
She keeps him on track,
And tends to his schedule, 
And helps him switch tasks.

My friend has a secretary.
He thinks everyone does.
She organizes,
She remembers,
So he can live free.

I have no secretary, though
I try to use my clocks.
I try to stay on track
Using whatever means.
With great effort, I switch tasks.

I have no secretary, so
My confidence is low.
Rightfully, I fear
That anything I gather
Could eas’ly disappear.

No, I have no secretary.
I forget to file memos,
At best, they’re out of place,
So I reach desperately
When I need them each day.

My friend has a secretary.
But not everyone does.
I’m disorganized.
Remembering is a great feat.
Sometimes, I wish I were free.

5 comments:

  1. I didn't get it from the poem (well, I had a few ideas, but it wasn't one of them), but the tags helped me out ^_^
    I think it's a really interesting way of thinking about it. I'm studying medicine, so relating to people and being able to understand them is a huge portion of what i'm trying to become. You can't always tell what having a condition is like just by looking at the outside, so analogies like this are really enlightening.

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    1. Thanks for your comment! I love analogies, and I'm really happy that this analogy is useful. :D What other possibilities came to mind as you read, if you don't mind sharing?

      My psychiatrist a few years back explained that we ADDers struggle with executive functioning, which made me think of a scattered business executive in his office. If such an executive had no secretary or administrative assistant to help him out... yikes. An executive office without a secretary (or the brain of many of us ADDers) has a bit of a struggle ahead. Not an impossible struggle, but a struggle.

      If you're curious, Totally Add is a Canadian group/business/organization/whatever that has some funny videos that clear ADD/ADHD up even more. The kind of videos that made my mom and I both laugh and cry because they were so true. :)

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    2. I think my first thought was something to do with parents. I remember my Mum reminding me that we didn't have a maid to pick up after us on multiple occasions XD I honestly can't remember the rest though >.<
      I'll have to go and have a look at that site =)

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  2. Great post. I enjoyed the poem and your train of thought. I can really relate. However, don't get upset with yourself. Often our greatest weaknesses are connected with our greatest strengths. It is human nature to focus on our flaws, but it is God's nature to see the flaw and realize the greater potential laying dormant underneath. God doesn't call out the flaw, because he knows it isn't really a flaw, we just have the wrong perspective. He calls out the reality He sees, so we can begin to see it as well.

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    1. Thanks, Daniel! (It's a little strange to see you going by something besides Zeroe4...)

      Great words of truth. I'm comfortable with my ADD. I understand it better than a lot of people seem to, and the diagnosis empowers me to work around it. To quote Monk, "It's a blessing... and a curse." But without the curse. Like my past emotional struggles, ADD gives me a different perspective on life, and more grace for those who don't always line up with what society considers "normal." Romans 8:28 has long been a favorite verse of mine: "And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose..." It still presents weakness, which I'm sometimes tempted to use as an excuse, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'd rather have to fight with my own brain than lose what God has to show me (and use me for) with my ADD. :)

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