It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.
To visit the IWSG website, click here.
To become a member of the IWSG, click here.
Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are
Stop by their posts and thank them for hosting.
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Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.
Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.
Remember the question is optional.
This month's optional question is:
Is there anything in your writing plans for 2026 that you are going to do that you couldn't get done in 2025?
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Happy New Year, Everyone!
I wish each of you happiness, health, creativity, fulfillment and love!
My writing plans for 2025 flamed out, except for my blog and IWSG admin work.
So, again, my plan is to finish my memoir.
I thought I'd complete a lot while our renovation was going on,
but I was overwhelmed by the chaos and couldn't manage it.
I kept/keep asking myself What is wrong with me?
Then, when I was laid up with the flu during the week from December 26th to January 4th,
I found myself in the pages of November 2025's National Geographic.
I was stunned.
The issue had a series of articles on adult ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
I've alluded to having ADHD before,
but I didn't really understand the implications of that until now.
Previously I have shared that my no-longer-secret family nickname is "The ADHD One."
(Aren't siblings the best? 😂)
I didn't realize I had ADHD until I was in my early 50s,
when it dawned on me that all the accommodations I was making for my ADHD kiddos
were necessary for me to function too.
Then I asked my siblings if they thought I might have ADHD,
and they all burst out laughing,
especially my youngest sister who was a Special Education teacher.
That's when I learned my secret family nickname.
My brother Roy told me that his biggest worry about one of his children
was that he might have ADHD like me.
Wow! 😱 He didn't, thank goodness!
Now Roy calls me his "beautiful butterfly," because I flit from flower to flower continuously.
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Moi ~ A Monarch
It was Roy who spotted something unusual when we were laughing over old photos
at my Great Aunt Nan's dining room table many years ago.
"Have you noticed that in almost every photo of you when you're small
you're wearing a harness and trailing or carrying a rope?"
What? We started looking closely, and there I was.
Me with My Harness and Rope
Harness and Rope Times Three ~ with Roy
You'd think that I, as a teacher with ADHD students, would see what was going on with me as a child.
But I digress.
Back to the National Geographic. (p. 81, Nov. 2025)
I started reading phrases that resonated: "It is not uncommon
to have an inattentive child that is not disruptive in the classroom ..."
My most vivid memory of our ninth grade science class is humiliating. I had been looking out the window at the woods by St. Mary's River, and I made the mistake of asking Mr. McLean if he thought trees could communicate. After my teacher and the class stopped laughing, he flat-out told me no and that I'd be better served if I looked at the blackboard instead of out the window.
My Father (my principal), Mr. Cruickshank, and Mr. McLean (right, my science teacher)
Staff Lunchroom and Home Economics Classroom
St. Mary's Rural High School Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia, Canada 1965-66
A candid photo of mine in our yearbook.
or 'notice they have to work two to three times harder
to achieve the same level of success as their peers.' " (p. 81, Nov. 2025)
I couldn't understand why I was always studying, pulling all-nighters, wondering why others went to so many more campus events than me. I couldn't understand how I, who had top grades graduating from high school, who earned a scholarship to Acadia University, failed two of my five yearlong freshman courses, despite studying and working so hard. Nor could my parents understand. More humiliation.
Two of the Four Girls in Geology
Your Truly and My Friend Lynn Thomas
Geology Department, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, Circa 1970
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
curiosity, loyalty, and project-oriented focus when something is of interest..." (p. 81, Nov. 2025)
There I am! That's me! These are the top characteristics that people who know me would likely use to describe me.
Yours Truly Writing
If I'm working on a project I can forget to shower, eat, sleep...
Aurora, Colorado, USA, June 29, 2024
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
"...you've got these quiet girls making honor roll grades and you think they've got ADHD?...
Girls with ADHD may excel in school...They may get an A on a paper
but stay up the night before writing it after being unable to focus for weeks." (p. 88, Nov. 2025)
I nearly cried when I read this. I can't remember one time in my life that I wasn't pulling all-nighters at the last minute, even when writing my M.Ed. thesis, my stories for IWSG anthology contests, for anything.
High-achieving perfectionist? ✓
Lost in the clouds? ✓
Blurting out? Interrupting others? ✓
Constantly shaking my legs? Twisting my hair? ✓
Impulsivity? Reacting emotionally? ✓
Disorganized, forgetful, trouble staying on task? ✓
Working very hard to hide my problems? ✓
On antidepressants and anxiety meds? ✓
Serious suicidal thoughts? ✓
Classic ADHD symptoms for a girl or a woman.
It was stunning when I read and reread the articles on adult ADHD.
I saw me everywhere, and after long decades of wondering what was wrong with me,
why was I different, why I had to work so hard,
why I knew in my heart that I could never handle being an astronaut or a surgeon,
why I was always getting sick, crashing and burning,
literally bleeding out internally from overworking,
I got it.
What having ADHD truly meant clicked into place.
Sitting on a Favorite Cottonwood Along Piney Creek
Aurora, Colorado, USA November 22, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved
You may be wondering what this has to do with
accomplishing in writing in 2026
what I didn't accomplish in 2025, 2024, or ... ~ my memoir.
I suddenly understood my life.
While doctors and researchers aren't sure what causes ADHD,
it's thought to be primarily genetics and the biology of what's going on in the brain.
It could also be impacted by the environment. (p. 84, Nov. 2025)
I think the trauma I experienced in the North
exacerbated my genetic predisposition for ADHD.
Understanding me and ADHD is the missing piece in my memoir puzzle.
It helps me understand why I became the Gingerbread Girl.
This gives me hope that maybe this year will be different.
The good news is that with the right job, the right friends, and the right partner
the ADHD brain can soar! (p. 81, Nov. 2025)
Teaching ✓ My personal and Online Friends ✓ Terry ✓
The Right Partner ❤️
Panama City Beach, Florida, USA April 9, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved
Have a healthy, happy, and creative January!
Take care!
Till next time ~
Fundy Blue
Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
Copyright ©2026 – All rights reserved.
My next post will be Friday, January 16th 🤞
Just so you know, I monitor my comments before publishing them. This means your comment won't appear immediately. I will not publish mean spirited or commercial comments.
Don't be too hard on yourself for not finishing your memoir. It's hard to focus on it when you're also having renovations done. My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD at the end of her year-long master's program. She did well in managing it through high school, but she struggled exactly like you describe to focus in college. She's now on medication and says it's like night and day. She's a very successful chemist and doesn't struggle to focus on the days she takes her medicine. You might think about getting on medication too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your understanding, Natalie, and thanks for sharing your daughter's experience with ADHD. I am so glad to hear how she is doing. Chemistry, my nemesis. I'm considering what to do about my medications, especially when I'm juggling different risks. Getting older is a challenge, but I'm delighted to be alive. Happy IWSG Day!
DeletePrecious friend Louise 🥰
ReplyDeleteWhat a powerful and beautiful post 🥹♥️👍
I was totally consumed by your captivating words and inspiring thoughts 🥰
Yes i too remained puzzled why i was different than others and thanks to internet and books and articles who helped me to understand my true self which strengthened my faith and confidence in me and erased all the confusion and complaints I have experienced within regarding me as different person from others .
Reading this made me cry throughout the post because I could relate what you have felt reading geographic magazine 🥹
Yes our childhood predicts our future and I can see how adorable little girl you were ,looking so considerate and thoughtful 🥹♥️
God is just and he created everything with his unquestionable wisdom, we all are pair of two different energies and conflict between them determines how we identify and rise above to shine and soar 🥰
Thank you soooo much for such a heartfelt read my beautiful and amazingly talented friend 🥰🥹
Happy new year to you and dear Terry ♥️may new year bring you health,peace and happiness every day amen🙏🥰
Thanks for your kind and compassionate support, Baili! You are definitely one of my "right friends!" I'm so grateful to have you as my friend. Being different is not an easy path, and you understand that fundamentally. Much love to you and your family. ❤️
DeleteSorry you struggled so much. But now you understand why can work with it rather than fighting an unknown enemy.
ReplyDeleteI hope so, Alex! Enjoy yourself today!
Delete...I was diagnosed with ADD when my son was too.
ReplyDeleteGenetics! It's good to know what you're dealing with. All the best to you, Tom!
DeleteADHD wasn't diagnosed until more recent years which is why you never knew you had it. Now you know and can be easier on yourself.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diane! I hope you have a great day visiting around!
DeleteThat's quite the Life Epiphany, Louise! The shock of recognition brings understanding and better resources for ourselves, so I'm happy for you. From what little I know, ADHD seems to be very common and very under-recognized, especially adult ADHD in our generation. ADHD is being diagnosed and treated more effectively for youngsters today, it appears (which is good). Enjoy your journey of self-discovery and the answers it is bringing you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your understanding, Debra! I suspect my life would have been very different if my ADHD had been diagnosed when I was young. But then, I've had a very good life, and I landed with Terry which was the best thing of all. Have a great day, my friend!
DeleteI admit that I just assumed you had it and were wise to it. Sometimes you do think about things more when you see them laid out though.
ReplyDeleteI've always been the type that picks up on things for some reason though. Maybe just because I've been around so much BS. A few people around me have it too.
Here's to getting more of the memoir done in 2026.
I have no clue what or if I'll write anything, we shall see what spurs me. Still doing songs though, so that keeps my creativity flowing.
I'm thrilled to hear that you are still doing songs, Pat. Are you writing them under a pseudonym? I haven't been able to find them. I'm glad you're keeping your creativity flowing. All my best to you!
DeleteHappy New Year! I love your picture with the harness and rope. So sweet. Someone wanted to protect you.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Teresa! My mother was my fierce protector. The rope worked until I figured out how to undo knots! 😂. But then, because I was a "good" girl, I always retied the rope on when I got to where I wanted to go ~ top of a ladder, up a tree, in a neighbor's yard. 😂 Have fun creating this year!
DeleteI'm glad you've figured out what ADHD truly means -- and how exhausting it is to mask it to fit it. Trust me, I know. I've found that writing down everything I need to do in a week and ticking it off the list as I do them helps me focus better. Happy New Year! And good luck with finishing your memoir :-)
ReplyDeleteRonel visiting for IWSG day An Author’s Goals for 2026
Thanks for your understanding, Ronel! Your list idea is how I manage to do the critical things, until I can't find it or things go south. 😂. Wishing you all the best in 2026!
DeleteAnonymously Esther O'Neill, East of the Sun with no signal. Better understanding of all the ways in which we can be different should result in a happier society. . No attention problems, or at least, I don't think so, ( science Masters) Wish my teachers had understood dysgraphia. Endless detentions and lines solved nothing, just a hundred lines of messy writing. Keyboards transformed my life., like learning to fly.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry that you had teachers who didn't understand your dysgraphia, Esther! Thank goodness for technology. It's improving life for so many. Happy flying in 2026!
DeleteMy whole family is Neuro-spicy. ADHD and ASD for everyone! Having a diagnosis, at any age, is definitely easier (and for older people, often comforting and affirming) though it also comes with complications. I'm so glad to hear it was freeing and helpful for you. May your New Year be positive and productive!
ReplyDeleteThank you, CD! I love your description of your family as Neuro-spicy! I worked with many children with ASD over the years. Like ADHD, it has its unique gifts too. All the best to you in 2026!
DeleteLouise I love this post. It reminds me so much of when I discovered that I am dyslexic, around my early 40's. I experienced some of the things you have. Pulling all nighters for school because I have to read a paragraph and then re read and re read. I love that when we as humans discover our accomplishments through diversity. We aren't sick, we aren't less than we are miracles. I do like the option question this month. It works for all art too. Have the best day.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nicole! Humans are incredibly diverse, and that's where hope resides. We need all of us in our complicated and challenging world and time. Big hugs to you!
DeleteI have several friends who say they have ADHD. Each one is so interesting and so talented that I love them in my life! Loved your story, Louise.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lee. I wasn't sure how it would be received, but I couldn't seem to write anything else. I wan't to deal with this subject. All the best to you, my friend!
DeleteYeah, there was a time when shaming and bullying came from the teachers. I'm glad to share that the world has grown and if we were in the system now there would understanding and help waiting for us. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank goodness the world has grown, Anna! Wishing you all the best in the coming year!
Delete