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Hi. For the longest time, I've wondered whether I have aspergers. I've been told by some people that I'm textbook, or something to that effect. I've been told by other people that I'm just very strange. I've been told by still other people to quit playing with epiphytes already and to go spend time with non-plants. I don't know, I'm just weird.

So hi there.

Kestrel, the esteem with which we hold the opinions of others should be directly commensurate with the logic and soundness inherent in the opinion. People have intrinsic worth; opinions don't.

Hi kestrel,

Welcome to Wrong Planet. I doubt anyone here will mind if you have an affinity for epiphytes

Personally, I like animals and rocks (although I'm not an expert on these things).


edit: gosh, I hate when I make spelling errors.

I agree. I take what they say with a grain of salt, as the saying goes. I've never had much opinion on my own mental condition because I don't have insurance and can't get a professional insight into things. I have ADD - I've been diagnosed with that earlier in life, but the impact on my life of whatever-it-is keeps me occupied with two hobbies, respectively, to the exclusion of nearly all human contact; orchids, and reading/writing. It doesn't seem as if ADD fits. At one time, I had a friend with aspergers, and I spent more time with her than nearly anyone I've ever known; she actually empathized with why I avoid crowds (overwhelmed - as if the entire world of people were grumbling and growling in my ears at once). Now I'm in a different state and spend time with my plants and my books. Like I said, I'm just weird. I miss having people to talk to, though. I'm not very good at it.

Last edited by kestrel on 14 Jan 2012, 12:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I like animals , too. Kestrel is for the hawk - the hawk version of the hummingbird.

If it makes you feel any better, I do have health insurance, and it has been my experience that my money would be better spent flushing it down the toilet. My experience has been that mental health "professionals" do far more harm than good--at least they did to me. I'd rather be "sick" personally.

I too was diagnosed with hyperactivity as a kid, and took the Ritalin to prove it. I do think ADD exists as a predisposition that we can aggravate or mitigate. I'm referring in particular to TV, which has reduced the attention span of most Americans to about three minutes.

This is important since problems that can be properly understood are much more amenable to solution than those not understood. In other words, for me it was simply a matter of getting rid of my TV in 1992--it's been almost twenty years! In the place of TV I read the most challenging books I can find on the things that interest me. Now, that weird, hyperactive kid has an attention span that is well above average, though far from perfect.

I got rid of TV since before I knew what it was. I was blessed with parents who didn't believe in it. That's why I read as much as I do. I'm more the inattentive sort of ADD - I have a hard time focusing on something if I don't find it interesting. That, to the point where I almost failed out of school despite not lacking in ability. School and me never got along - having too many people around makes me feel neurotic.

I'm exactly the same way, and I never did well in school, at least until I went into college after four years in the Navy. The Navy did help me with self-discipline, but since I don't like being around people, after almost four years of ship duty, I swore I'd never join anything again and would stay as far from other people as possible.

As I'm typing this, I don't have another person within a mile of me. Normal people don't understand how I live out here all alone. I can also say with the exception of a few meetings a year for my job, the only time I'm in crowds now is when I have to my quarterly shopping trip to Walmart. I wouldn't want it any other way.

I knew I wasn't the only one like that. :lol

You're lucky - I miss living like that. I got to experience it for about a year a while back, living in the mountains with nobody for miles in any direction and a National Forest just at the end of the block. That was the best time in my life, I think.

you'll find people to talk to here. welcome to wrong planet. (i don't have an official diagnosis either.)

Thanks for the welcome.

Welkome to WP

Mick