Adaptation – that’s where ADD has turned into a strength for me. I’ve always had to adapt to situations because things would never work for me the way I planned, or the way it worked for everyone else. So – I would improvise and adapt. So, in chaotic situations where adapting to change is important, I’m the go-to person! I love change because it’s where I look good. Change that’s for the greater good is where I belong – solving problems, re-writing the rules, etc.
That’s why I enjoy musical improvisation too – soloing to music does not require me to remember – I am able to develop physical memories of the scales in my hands, and tap into a different part of the brain. Being unable to just play the same canned melodies over and over forces me to create musical ideas from scratch – to everyone’s pleasure. I watch the movements of people dancing and the shapes in the room, and make brand new melodies that are completely in the moment. That’s pretty magical stuff.
I don’t believe I would have been good at these things if ADD hadn’t forced me to. ADD has challenged me to develop strengths that I don’t think I would otherwise have done, and I find pride and satisfaction in that. When I think about that, I feel a sense of gratitude that I get to be different, and it would be strange to think of who I would have been without ADD. I’m also glad for medication and the choice to keep the skills I’ve learned, plus function better with my family and work.
These things aren’t by themselves a definition of ADD – they are what I did about it – and I’m very, very OK with that 