Space Cadet

Thursday, October 20, 2022

When I was a child, adults around me would often call me a “space cadet”. I never quite got it. I always assumed it was because I was blonde, and you know the stereotype about blondes. Well, today, at the tender age of 40, I finally get it… which in of itself proves their point.

I find it ironic that the way to help someone living with ADHD is to give them medication that they have to remember to take. It’s even harder when there’s multiple medications. Case in point… last night, as I was getting ready for bed around 10:30 pm, I took my nightly pill, which is supposed to be Cymbalta. Cut to me at 3 am, WIDE AWAKE, when it dawned on me that the bottle I grabbed was NOT my Cymbalta, it was my Adderall.

If you don’t know, Adderall is an amphetamines. A stimulant. Yes, I know, it seems counter intuitive to give someone with Attention Deficit HYPERACTIVE Disorder a stimulant, but somehow it works. I’ve always wondered why coffee doesn’t do much for me but calm me down. Now I know.

It’s a blessing in disguise that I’ve been sick with strep and working from home. The thought of me driving an hour to the office, running on 3 hours of sleep, without my Cymbalta (the withdrawal symptoms come straight from Hell) and on the ends of the effect of my Adderall, well… it wouldn’t be the safest drive.

When I accepted my fate and rolled out of bed at 8 am, surprised that my contacts actually went in my eyeballs, I felt the urge to paint. I grabbed an 8x10 canvas, two slotted pour cups, and knew without thinking the colors I needed. Blacks, silvers, blues, purples, a hint of teal and magenta. And all metallic. Feeling shiny, like a diamond (Pink Floyd, not Rhianna… so, a crazy diamond), I added just a bit of teal glitter. When that wasn’t enough, I added blue, purple, and silver leafing. Just for fun, flicked some neon white (yeah, it’s a real color) and neon yellow for a “starry” effect.

It turns out, they were right… I am a space cadet.