
You obsess over commas. You freak out at the mall. You rage at the sound of a leaf blower. It’s been four years and you still haven’t found the right color for your bedroom walls. You remember violent movie images for weeks. You know what emotions strangers are feeling. You have a gazillion ideas in your head, especially at 3am. You’re reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the ninth time. You’ve been enraptured for years with the search for gravitational waves. You cry listening to NPR. You remember the time you smashed Robert’s lego airplane when you were five. And you still feel guilty.
What does this mean? Are you crazy?
Nah.
You’re gifted.
Yep.
I know how you dislike that word. It’s awkward. Everyone is gifted. Yada yada yada.
I know that you don’t feel gifted. All of those other people are so much smarter than you are. Your Uncle Charlie? Now, he’s gifted. You’re a daydreamer, a procrastinator, a slacker, maybe a little crazy.
Sorry, no. You. Gifted.
Here’s why it matters. I admit it. I have an agenda.
If you will stop labeling your gifted traits as craziness, then you’re more likely to find your way to self-acceptance and purposefulness. I’m not pressuring you to save humanity from self-destruction, mind you, although that would be nice. I’m just saying, if you admit that you might have some smartness, maybe a lot of smartness, then, you’re more likely to not be distracted from your path this time around. And we need you to be on your path.
And, of course, you can tell people that you have a rainforest mind. That’ll make it easier for you and them. It’s a lovely analogy, if I do say so myself. It fits. You are so darned intense, colorful, complicated and teeming with mosquitoes possibilities. Am I right?
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To my dearest blogEEs: Let us know if you’ve felt “crazy” at times. Certainly, it’s possible to be both gifted and mentally ill. Some of you may be both. We’d love to hear from you, too. That said, there are many examples of gifted folks who’ve been misdiagnosed. You are all welcome here.
Have I mentioned that I so appreciate you? Well, I do. If you’ve been reading for a while, you may have noticed that I’m not blogging as frequently as I was. That’s because I’ve been working on the latest draft of MY BOOK. Yes, you heard that right. My publisher (GHF Press) says it’ll be released some time in the later spring. So you can imagine that I’ve been a little bit busy. But I haven’t forgotten you!
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