executive function challenged, belaying babies, and mountain knitting
biggest little joys #31
Do you know that feeling?
The one where your brain is really fuzzy, but also there are alarm bells playing dangerously loud somewhere because you have SO MUCH to do, but also you don’t know what you should do next, so instead you just walk around the house and maybe put a load of laundry in only to forget it and have it go sour?
Anyone?
Well, I’ve been calling it fuzzy brain syndrome, and I feel like I’ve really struggled ever since having kids (weird coincidence, right!??). But I also recently realized that there was another huge shift that happened around the time that I had my oldest. I stopped scheduling my time.
If you knew me in college, you know that I kept up 4 different planners. Well, first, my doctor prescribed me Adderall, but I didn’t like it, so then I kept up 4 different planners. 1 yearly, 1 monthly, 1 weekly, and 1 daily. And in the daily one, I wrote down every single thing I should do that day, in order. Even down to a shower.
Eventually I consolidated all my planners into one magical planner called the Passion Planner, which schedules your time in 30 minute increments.
Then I got pregnant and realized that my system was not going to work any more. So I just gave it up.
Recently, while talking to Rion, I realized that what I was doing in college was externalizing something that I was lacking internally. Apparently, people call it executive function. And apparently, a lot of people have it. But for those of us who are ehm.. executive function challenged, we have to find work arounds. And somehow, in college, I just intuitively knew that I could not handle deciding what to do with my time in the moment, or keeping track of literally anything. So my planner became my executive function.
But then I stopped using it because babies are crazy.
Well, now that my youngest recently turned 5, I’m BRINGING IT BACK!
Really, this was just a very long way to say I recently ordered the Passion Planner again, and I feel like I have my brain back. So if you are also neurodivergent, or lacking that boring grown-up necessity that is executive function, it’s okay! You just have to find new ways to do things (and I bet you’re really good at that). Maybe it’s intensely using a planner, maybe it’s something else. Just know that you’re not broken, you’re just different, and in a world of plastic surgery and AI, THANK GOD for that. <3
On to other happy things - here we go…
✿ Rowan turned 5 last week (HOW DOES TIME WORK?), and we took her out to breakfast at a cute little cottage. The owner found out it was her birthday (perhaps her birthday hat gave her away), and surprised both her and Finley with little birthday gifts!! They were all wrapped and everything! They also sang her a birthday song and brought her a cookie, and really, what more could a 5 year old want?
✿ Finley has been taking climbing lessons and is learning how to belay. She recently belayed Rowan (who is still a baby, right? no?), and you’ve never seen her more proud.
✿ Ro wanted to camp for her birthday so last weekend we took our first camping trip of the year. It got down to freezing and snowed on us. It was glorious. Being outdoors brings out the best in our family, and the kids were completely unfazed by the cold weather. I’m very thankful for them.
✿ Also, I got to knit with this view. So, yea. No complaints.
✿ I have loved fiddleheads since I was a kid. Finding them has always felt like I’m stumbling on something magical, and when we were camping they were everywhere. Also, ferns always make me think of my soul dog, Colby (who has left this world). So I guess she was out there with us too.
⋒ FUN, FUN ⋒
✿ Just in case you feel like you need a little extra executive function in your life too, here’s the Passion Planner! It’s made by someone with ADHD, in case you need that street cred.
Thanks again for basking in these little joys with me! I hope you find some for yourself this week, and if you do, tell me! Joy spreads that way.
sending you so much love ~ Kelley ♥