A blog about camper life with an ADD spin
I hate writing about myself. I'm not sure if it's because of my lack of desire to be boastful or it is my lack of self-esteem. I've never felt adequately intriguing enough to fathom that others would want to read about my life. But, I've decided to take the plunge and say screw it. In this series of blog posts, “Clarence the Camper”, I share some of my challenges, fun adventures and helpful tips I’ve experienced while attempting camper life.
Throughout the series, I also delve into what it is like to live with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Everyone is unique so generalizing my experiences to all individuals with ADD would not be wise.
ADD is similar to the more well-known ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Those with ADHD, are also hyperactive and can be more overtly distributive when confined to environments that do not allow movement.
Attention Deficit Disorder - My Completely Non-Medical Description
For those neuro-typical souls who don't have ADD, it can be confusing as to what living with an attention disorder is like. Often it is thought of as a fabricated disorder. I would disagree. Though, I do vehemently believe that ADD/ADHD has been over-pathologized. And that our current education system and work structure are not always conducive to those of us with attention disorders. However, that is an aside that I will not address right now.
Often perceptions of ADD are simplified and misconstrued. Typically people assume those of us with ADD are like dogs sniffing along, smell a squirrel, dart our attention to the scoundrel, losing track of whatever it was we are focused on before. I would be lying if I said this isn’t part of the picture. Shiny pretty things out of the corner of my eye will force me to ask friends to repeat themselves at times...
Yet, distraction itself is not the entire picture. There is more to it, our reality itself is slightly different to normies. For us, everything in our environment is in the front row. We have no built-in sieve to filter out unimportant stimuli. Everything is on an equal playing field, making it hard to decipher what to pay attention to at any given moment. Sometimes we know what the most important thing is that we should be focusing on but what peaks our interest may have a stronger pull that is impossible to suppress.
Imagine that you are surrounded by multiple vibrant, technicoloured hot air balloons and your task is to choose the most whimsical of the lot. You are turning around in every direction, but you simply cannot choose because they are all beautiful in their own way.
Speaking of beautiful, I'd like to introduce you to my set-up.
My Rig - Betsy and Clarence
Betsy
Betsy is my truck - She is a 1993, Ford f250, 7.5L BEAST! Chugs gas faster than a frat boy losing at beer pong. But I still love her (most of the time).
Clarence
Old camper no idea the year but likely older than me. Had a lipstick, stoner repair job that has lead to some trials and tribulations. But heck he’s spacious for a truck box camper and is a real charmer at times.
For the moment, I’m living in Clarence and working part-time in a real job (a good one too!). My motivation for full-time camper life is to work less to allow for more time to pursue a writing career. If interested, click here to read my bio, or head to my first Episode of Clarence the camper here.
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