Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Dog Walking and ADD

I'm currently dog sitting, so needless to say all things puppy are on my brain.

I took the dog out for the morning pee walk and thought it was an excellent metaphor for ADD...

First stop on the dog walking tour is surprisingly NOT to pee - she has an incredible bladder that I envy in m post-40 stage... (I never really thought I'd type those words, but there they are...).

First stop is the hole she dug in my front yard on Day 2 when I turned my back for a second.

Ever notice the FEROCITY (practically) with which a dog can dig a hole? And then try pulling them off of it, or out of it or both?  Yeah.

Sometimes ADD can give you that kind of hyper-focus.  That "I know I can get to China if I just do this... " single-minded hyper-focus that CAN allow us to get really amazing things done, if our OCD need for perfection doesn't completely hamper us and keep us TOO hyperfocused on non-important /essential details. 

But this dog has a nose for plants and weeds and everything else (yes, I know, other dog scents, too).  And she will stop and smell the roses (if we had any) forever.

To actually move forward on our walk, and not get stuck at all the random things that distract her along the way, she needs a tug.  Usually a light tug will make her go, "Huh, what? Oh, okay.. moving forward".  Sometimes what has distracted will take more of her attention.  But to get her to move forward - in the direction she needs to go - it helps to have someone there walking along beside her giving her a gentle tug. 

Otherwise god only knows what weeds she'd eat...

So, in my incompetent post, I'm just looking for someone to help give me that tug, and keep me moving forward.  I don't think that's too much to ask, is it? Because with ADD all sorts of other things smell interesting and make me want to stop and keep me from getting to my destination. 

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