"Mr. Valentine?"
- and if I were to tell her that I still love her then -
"Mr. Valentine..."
- no, we've been over this, she doesn't want me to be needy, she -
"Mr. Valentine!"
Joan Valentine finally raised his head from his fist. A bit chagrined, he tried playing his absent-mindedness off. That worked the first time his mind wandered in these sessions. But it had become a common occurrence at this point.
His therapist, Dr. Truzo, sighed, then wrote something on her tablet. "I take it our current discussion disinterests you? You don't care how to get her back?"
"The opposite, actually." Joan pounded his chair. "I care too much..."
Truzo pierced her lips. "I will do something quite unprofessional here, Mr. Valentine. And make an assumption."
"At this point, I'll probably go to a soothe sayer, doc. State away. Please."
"I gather you are annoyed that your mind keeps wandering when you least expect it?" Valentine's silence was confirmation. "That shouldn't be the case. You shouldn't beat yourself up over it."
"My ADHD is not holding me back?" Joan sounded agitated. "Just now I was being rude, for one. For another I missed whatever it was you were saying. That could have been vitally helpful in my coping."
"It's all a matter of perspective." Dr. Truzo closed her tablet and leaned in intently. "Mr. Valentine, what do you know about the Hindu Yogis?"
Joan shrugged. "As much as the TV has told me."
"The ancient sages from the east, their knowledge of the human mind and psyche was staggering. You see, while the West has always been more materialistic. the East has always been more spiritual. This is shown in their teachings as well."
Joan leaned forward, paying close attention. Historical tales like these were fascinating and insightful.
"The Ancient Yogis say that there are three types of minds - fire, wind, water. Some of us in the scientific community have linked these to conditions already present in the brain. And we firmly believe that the Wind mind correlates strongly with what we now call ADHD."
"Interesting..."
Dr. Truzo huffed. "We. This is going to sound completely unprofessional. But we in society use mental illness as a crutch. As an excuse. The ancients knew that some people were just wired differently. That doesn't make them lesser. But life was much simpler then. Navigating modern society with a chip on your shoulder since childhood? Who can bear that and come out on the other side?"
Valentine sat, processing. "So you're saying..."
"I'm rambling." She picked up her tablet again. "Don't use your ADHD as a crutch. Look at it as your Wind mind. It can be beneficial if you understand how to wield it."
"What mind are you, doc? If you don't mind me asking?"
"Not sure how you keep attracting women with your terrible dad jokes." Truzo couldn't help but smile. "I'm a Water Mind."
"I can see it."
"Well, our time is almost up, doctor. My parting words to you are - focus on the things you can control. Your condition allows for brain patterns that are not the norm. Don't shun them. Use them! And if your ex doesn't see the good in you. Doesn't try to understand and only brings you down. Then maybe you got lucky."
Waiting for his bus Valentine thought about his therapist's words. His entire life he thought his ADHD was an annoyance. He never tried to look at it as beneficial.
If I'm Wind, then what's Amanda? Fire? Wind amplifies Fire though... Is that how this works? If it is then why aren't we still together?
Wind can also snuff out a flame...
Joan sighed. Overthinking was not going to solve anything. But maybe he could finally have some peace of mind as to his condition. In a sense, he had advantages that other's lacked. His frantic mind if harnessed could allow him to perform in several avenues. Joan got off the bus.
Maybe Amanda was wrong. Maybe he wasn't stretching himself thin. Joan noticed that he was unhappier once he only focussed on his work as Amanda said. He attributed it to their deteriorating relationship. But maybe it had more to do with his natural inclinations.
Entering his home he reclined in his sofa. Perhaps it was never meant to be. Perhaps he should have always trusted his instincts.
For the first time in a long time, he found solace in his thoughts.
Only one way to find out.
This is the first draft of the story. Written by Jovan Gjorgjiev, ©️ 2023.
Obligatory shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙
Word prompt: The 4 Elements:
As always, I went a little unconventional with my prompt interpretation. Yes! The wind/fire/water mind thing is real! Look it up! This line of thinking that ADHD can be an asset has led me to do all the things I am currently doing. It's all a matter of perspective people!
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Cover image source.
I hope you have a fantastic day! 🙌
