Recently, a woman was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. - Age Activated Attention
Deficit Disorder.
This is how it manifests:
I decide to water my flower tubs. As I turn on the hose I look over at my
car and decide it needs washing.
I go to get the car keys from the porch and then notice mail on the porch
table.
I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the bin under the
table, and notice that the bin is full.
So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the rubbish
first.
But then I think, I can run down to the post-box when I take out the
rubbish, I may as well pay the bills first.
I take my cheque book off the table, and see that there is only 1 cheque
left.
My extra cheques are in the computer desk, so I go inside the house to my
desk where I find the can of Coke I’d been drinking.
I’m going to look for my cheques, but first I need to push the Coke aside so
that I don’t accidentally knock it over.
The Coke is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the fridge to keep it
cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the window
ledge catches my eye–they need water.
I put the Coke on the window ledge and discover my reading glasses that I’ve
been searching for all morning.
I decide I better put them back on my computer desk, but first I’m going t o
water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the window ledge, fill a container with water
and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone has left it on the kitchen table.
I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I’ll be looking for the
remote, but I won’t remember that it’s on the kitchen table, so I decide to
put it back in the living room where it belongs, but first I’ll water the
flowers.
I pour some water in the flowers, but some spills on the floor. So, I set
the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day:
-
The tubs aren’t watered;
-
The car isn’t washed;
-
The bills aren’t paid;
-
There is a warm can of Coke sitting on the window ledge;
-
The flowers don’t have enough water;
-
There is still only 1 cheque in my cheque book;
-
I can’t find the remote;
-
I can’t find my glasses;
-
I have absolutely NO idea what I did with the car keys.
Then, when I try to work out why nothing got done today, I’m really baffled
because I know I was busy all damn day, and I’m really tired.
I realise this is a serious problem, and I’ll try to get some help for it,
but first I’ll check my e-mail.
Do me a favour. Forward this message to everyone you know, because I don’t
remember who the hell I’ve sent it to.
Don’t laugh – if this isn’t you yet, your day is coming!