So yeah, I couldn’t think of what to call this episode of “Exploring the life and mind of the Great Un-Niche_Able Me. ”

Today’s post is all about what min brain did during the walk Bailey and I took today. My daughter asked me where it was all from and I said that it was just my brain, taking a walk with the dog.

I went to bed at 7 p.m. last night after falling sound asleep and breaking my neck in the recliner I inherited from my dad. It’s way too big for me. I’m about a foot from the floor and just cannot reach the lever to pull the chair together, but I manage because it was dad’s chair. Then I overslept because my brain thought it would be fun to turn itself on but not to do anything entertaining or useful.

I have ADHD. I have Bipolar Disorder. My brain is a place where clowns and squirrels are abundant, the skies are green, and I try to do everything, especially those things which are impossible, before 11 a.m., if I’m awake.

Bailey, my doggie, and I just got home from a walk. Less than five minutes later the rain started. Right after that, the mail lady arrived. We’d seen her halfway through our walk. She’s cool. Brings treats. Doggie bones by mail. Love it.

An indication that you’re not necessarily getting old, but that something is sure happening: you need to stop at the house halfway through your walk to go to the “you know what.” Reason? Two cups of coffee before setting off on the grand adventure which consisted of walking around my bit of South Tacoma. (What’s this? Fern Hill?)

I’ve been trying to decrease my minutes per mile. Walking with the doggie will always increase my time. Why? She just has to stop to doggie business repeatedly, and I mean business without a briefcase. Let me be specific in case you’re not from around here: she had to stop and have a bowel movement, she poopooed. (Was that too explicit?)

<How did I get all these stupid apps open?>

I have new Bluetooth earphones… buds… whatever. Problem: Saying more than “Hi” to a man who has trouble talking without shutting off or removing one ear… eh… bud. Say what!!?? Answer? Wave a lot and agree that the dog is very pretty. Sigh. Don’t stop. You could have stopped to talked… Want me to go back? Well, no, but next time…

Good news! Sweating from exercise and not from menopause (which I do NOT have) or the heater going mad.

Last year when I didn’t push myself walking I tore my right foot fascia. I guess it doesn’t matter which foot it is really. Oh well. There it is anyway.

Lordy. I think one of the fish just let one.

It is impressively difficult to take notes on my phone while letting doggie “break” (not sit at heel). On second thought maybe, I shouldn’t… nah. She likes it and spends my time laughing at the nonsense I’m poking at in my other app like a demented little old lady – which I definitely am NOT.

It’s so funny when Word can’t figure out what word I can’t spell so I have to depend on the Google voice feature to figure out what I can’t spell. I don’t feel too bad because Word doesn’t know how to spell it either.

These are a few of the things I struggled to take note of during our walk (all that stuff before this did too, but it seemed like too much):

That looks like spit on the sidewalk. Nope. It’s glass. Quick, evasive maneuver!

I shouldn’t have had all that coffee. (I didn’t know I was going to walk so far. You can’t hold this time against me.)

I remember the time the kids and I stopped and gave food to a homeless man who was sitting at the offramp at a local freeway. He graciously declined. Why? No teeth. Sigh. How am I supposed to teach the kidlets to be gracious? LOL

Oops! The front door just slammed. I thought I put a cat toy in it. Guess not.

I have happiness on my face. The sun was out all morning even after I didn’t get up on time. We ignored the forecast that said it was going to rain any minute and ignorantly (and slowly) headed out the door.

We seem to take forever to get ready because I have to decide what to listen to: always a painful and lengthy affair, and I have to remember how to put Bailey’s prong collar on. Yep, prong collar. I finally don’t have to deal with a dog who pulls anymore. (It’s too much to explain now. Just trust me on this one.)

Oh wow! Maks (the oldest male cat we have) is chittering at a squirrel or maybe a cat but probably not at a dog or a cat. Cross people and cars off too. So funny. They have examples of chittering cats on YouTube. Check it out.

What was next? (We’re still on what I was thinking during our walk.)

Okay, next is the word: distance. Dunno why that’s there. Maybe because we went about farther than we’ve gone before? We actually did!

Runtastic (the app I use to map and measure my walks) always summarizes my activity when I stop it. My phone (another app – Great Courses Plus) keeps talking while Runtastic tells me all about my walk. She takes forever. Honestly, I don’t care about my kilocalories. Winston Churchill’s who died? Blast!

Speaking of the Runtastic woman, she counts down to zero while I’m starting out on my walk. I have no idea why I added that to my list. Hmm…

And the last item on my ADHD walkabout list: small ears and Bluetooth. I’m getting new glasses. They will be children’s glasses. My sunglasses are children’s glasses – tiny head. I have around the ear Bluetooth headsets. I simply cannot keep the little buggers on. I’m going to tell the kids it’s because of my glasses, but you and I will both know that it’s because my ears, head, and eyes are all too small.

We made it home just in time to meet our mail lady at our door. She gave Bailey the ritual bone. She is devastated when Mary (mail lady) isn’t the one leaving the mail. I have to have a Milk Bone (small) ready for those days. Such a sad doggie!

Okay, time to shut the front door. I’ve cooled down and my tiny amount of sweat has dried. I’m freezing.

Now, ADHD and Bipolar Disorder, what to do about them? I was listening to a class on Winston Churchill during our walk. The professor said that Churchill was at his best when he was able to laser focus on a problem.

Laser focus. I wonder what that feels like when you actually WANT it to happen? So far I’ve experienced it mainly when I’m not medicated or super interested in what I’m doing / learning or am having a manic episode. The mania seems to help to slow the rapid fire of subjects somewhat. I would also say that the remaining subjects also feel like I’m more engaged in. I like it.

So should we treat the mania? First? Should we treat the ADHD? First or second? Chicken or egg? Seriously? Who came up with that stupid saying? Chicken or egg. How about duck or egg, opossum or roadkill, mini car or accident? Alexa or music from the ’40s? Something like those.

I will continue to seize my good days and to strive to do what I can to enable me to have more of them. I’ve applied to enter an intensive group training to teach me how to live successfully as a person who has ADHD. I guess that answers it. Since my Bipolar meds don’t seem to ever want to be well adjusted I’m going to guess that ADHD will be coming before the Bipolar egg.

Have a great day!