In Their Words

I still lose my keys and feel challenged by clutter, but I’ll overcome those problems like I’ve mastered the heap of laundry: one pile at a time.

Laundromat on washday
Laundromat on washday

Now that I’ve found a career that suits my ADD brainwriting fiction – the biggest challenge left to me is the physical clutter that follows me everywhere I go. That and the hours spent every week looking for my keys, wallet, books, shirts, shoes, and the saltshaker. The list goes on and on, but the worst of it has always been the laundry.

My husband, who understands that this isn’t laziness, but a condition, never complains, but I can see the inconvenience I cause him. Every time I misplace something, he has to wait for me or watch me lose my temper.

There’s been a recent improvement, though. I have figured out a workaround for my inability to keep track of a copious and varied wardrobe. I have limited myself to 20 pieces of clothing, plus one dressy dress. It means doing laundry more often, but it also means I don’t lose clothes in piles of my other clothes. Folding the laundry is now a five-minute job.

Every time I figure out another trick to outsmart my ADD, I feel like I’ve won an enormous victory. If I want to celebrate this one, for once I know what I’ll be wearing and how to find the clothes.