It’s embarrassing. You probably don’t tell anyone that you read this blog. You keep it a secret. Right? Because if you told them, you’d have to explain just what a rainforest mind is. And then you might have to tell them that there could be a very very slim chance but it’s probably unlikely that you’re um g-g-gifted.
Embarrassing.
I want to be perfectly clear. I’m not here telling you that you ought to be proclaiming your smartness hither and yon. That you should be reminding your coworkers that you had the answer before the meeting even started. Or that you ought to tell your friends that you’re tired of counseling them. Or that your partner should automatically understand why you’re still procrastinating. That is not what I’m saying.
I’m here because it’s time you realized that what you’re calling ADD or OCD or bipolar or quirky or dorky or geeky or anal retentive or impatient or poor communicator or eccentric or too sensitive or too dramatic or too whatever– may, instead, be a rainforest mind doing what it does.
No one else has to know.
Except you.
Because when you stop pathologizing your giftedness, then you can create the life you’re meant to create. You can step into your Youness and tackle the tasks that are before you. You can find your honest powerful compassionate voice and use it change things. To make things better. To spread a little more love.
But, I don’t want to hide it, you say. I’m tired of dumbing down, you say. I’m no good at the stealth thing, you sigh, looking at me with exasperation. And, besides that, I have a gifted kid. What do I tell people about my kid?
I understand. I didn’t mean that you were supposed to go underground. That’s the last thing I want you to do. And if you’re a parent, you likely need help navigating the so-you-think-you-have-a-gifted-kid world.
How about this: We know people who are like meadows. Gentle, sweet, flowery. We know people who are like volcanos. Ready to erupt at any moment. We know people who are like oceans. Deep, vast, mysterious, salty. You and your kid? Jungle. Or, more politely, rain forest. Extremely: intense, complex, sensitive, lush, smart, creative, misunderstood.
And making things better. Spreading a little more love.
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To my bloggEEs: Do you tell people that you have a rainforest mind or that you’re gifted? How do you explain these traits to others? Do you have a child with a rainforest mind? What’s it been like to communicate with others about your child?
This post is part of a blog hop with giftedhomeschoolers.org. (a great website with lots of resources, not just for home schoolers) Click on the image to read some excellent posts from parents of gifted children and professionals who work with the gifted.
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