ADHD and embracing being a late bloomer
You’re a masterpiece of nature… just give yourself time.
My family and I went on a first-ever trip to Cancun, Mexico over our Spring Break. Looking to connect with the Yucatán Peninsula’s history and cultural heritage, we booked an excursion with Rio Secreto (I highly recommend!) to explore a beautiful underground world of semi-flooded limestone caves and cenotes, or underground rivers, deep in the Mayan jungle.
Besides the sheer beauty of what I saw, I was most shocked by the timeline for how these caves formed.
Did you know stalactites, the mineral formations extending from the ceiling of the cave, can take one thousand years to grow less than 10 centimeters?
You might think, at that rate, what’s even the point?
Here’s the point:
Look at this masterpiece of nature.
This cave was here for millions of years just doing its thing. It was forced out of the sea by the same asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs and began leaking, weeping sediment that over time formed an underground limestone palace with white crystalline columns stretching toward the purest chilly, blue waters.
This was all here silently working on its magic in absolute darkness, and it remained undiscovered until 2004. To this day, only 15% of this subterranean paradise has been explored. What wonders still await discovery?
This cave and its unhurried stalactites are a perfect metaphor for anyone working on or toward something that feels really big or far off.
Maybe you’re working toward a degree. A diagnosis. A marathon. A work of art or literature. A dream.
Maybe it’s yourself and your mental well-being that you’re focused on.
Whatever it is… maybe it feels overwhelming. Maybe it feels like progress is happening too slowly. Maybe it feels impossible that you’ll ever reach your goals.
But think about the stalactites and be patient.
I was 35 years old when I was given the ADHD diagnosis that opened up the underground cave of my soul. I was allowed to explore new parts of myself, trek through uncharted waters of self-acceptance, passing a scorpion or two along the way (we actually saw scorpions IRL!).
I’ve embraced being a late bloomer, a wonder of nature I couldn’t fully appreciate until I found myself in my diagnosis and treatment.
It took decades of searching and struggling, but I’m finally able to marvel at the magnificent work-in-progress that I am, even as the sediment is still collecting and settling into its forms.
The point is: You may not see your progress every single day. It may even feel like you’re stuck in place or going backwards some days. But you’re still growing. Every step you take toward your goal is another trickle of rainwater carrying and depositing its microscopic building blocks. They will accumulate. Allow the process to happen.
If you just keep going, you’ll eventually reach a critical mass. You’re building something breathtaking that’ll be discovered when the season is right.
You’re a masterpiece of nature, too, my friend. Just give yourself time.