Beneath the Stripes:
Tourette's Syndrome from the Tiger’s View
by Darin M. Bush
Dirty Laundry: the Adult EDF Experience
What is it like to have adult Executive Dysfunction (EDF)? It is
like being me, apparently. Of course, that does not help you at all. I suppose
you could suggest, “Describe a day with EDF.” My reply: “Yesterday.” “Okay, ha,
ha,” you say, “can you give me another example?” My answer: “Tomorrow.” So,
what is my point? A more appropriate question might be, “When do you not notice
your EDF?” At two times: when asleep, and during storms. EDF colors everything
I do.
In the morning, EDF makes it difficult to get ready for work
in a timely manner. If I am going somewhere after work, I try to plan things
out ahead of time. The key words being ‘plan’ and ‘ahead’. Planning ahead is a
key element of EDF. Wait. Actually, the lack of planning is a key element of
EDF. See what I mean?
Things have to be ready when you need them. Since nothing
takes zero seconds to prepare, except procrastination, you have to set things
up before you need them. Go back to clothes. What is a prerequisite for getting
dressed? Do not laugh; it is much more complicated than most people think. We
EDF folks can identify almost every component. How? The easy way: by not
getting it done.
Most people have heard the expression, ‘For want of a nail’.
This old proverb means a tiny detail can ruin a plan. Let me explain. The
decisive battle of a war rages. To win the battle, a soldier needs to send a
message to his general. He tries to send a messenger, but the horse throws a
shoe. The blacksmith, replacing the horseshoe, is short one nail. Due to the
delays finding one little nail, the message does not get to the general. For
want of a nail, the war is lost.
In the war of the clothes (rhymes with roses), what is the
nail? It could be quarters, if you go to a coin laundry. It could be soap or
bleach. Those are obvious important items. What about abstract nails? Remembering
to do the laundry is a critical part of the process. On my way home from work,
if I go to dinner with a friend, I might not make it home in time to do laundry
or go to the store to buy dryer sheets.
I think you see what I mean, but now what? How do we avoid
going to work in no clothes, or worse yet, dirty clothes? Me, I buy two
containers of soap. The first is the small portable bottle. The second is the
gigantic family size bottle. I carry the small one, and refill it from the
gigantic one. A similar concept applies to quarters; I buy $20 worth at a time.
On average, that gives me enough for ten loads.
So, for me, having EDF is like what it is. Like a new, bright
red shirt in a white load, it colors everything I do, all day long.
Questions? Suggestions? Send me your plan in an
email to the Tourette Tiger
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