A Difference Hosts Differences Roses are red, violets are blue… Wait. I lost my spot. Okay, I got it. I got it now. Roses are red, violets are blue. Amanda, watch your posture. [Pace around] Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, commonly known as ADHD. A chronic mental disorder characterized by [Subty checks phone] fidgeting and the inability to stand still or focus on things that require sustained mental- WHOA CHECK THAT OUT! That's just the medical definition, but as humans we know that to know what others know Hang on… We know that to feel? Wait… As humans, we'll never know what ailments and diseases feel like until we experience it. Doctors and psychiatrists say kids like me have trouble focusing in class and play with everything they see. And they're not wrong, for medicine is simply a form of science. But do they mention the everyday challenges? Exactly! [Grab drink and books from desk] You'll never hear them speak of how I forget a name and end up awkwardly waiting for someone else to say it, or how I go to my room to grab a pair of dang headphones and come back with literally everything but my headphones. [Carelessly drop books and drink] Or when teachers and parents call me lazy and expect me to sit still and read a book like everyone else and then expect me to learn from it and then say I'm stupid and not good enough because I don't fit their mold. So what if I play Pokémon while doing Euro? At least I remember the long-term causes of the Russian Revolution. By the way, Lillian, I LOVE your outfit. Imagine everyone in your class celebrating their sweet sixteen, and you're just turning thirteen, but suddenly…BAM! Drivers licenses, college applications, all underway and you're haphazardly thrown into the spiral along with varsity clubs and big national competitions where you're forced to dump out the contents of your head just to complete great feats your friends can accomplish in a bat of their mascara-covered eye. Well, you're not literally dumping your brain out 'cause that would be creepy and zombie-apocalypsish… You know what I mean. [Take a tissue] It leaves you to wonder why the world's out to get you, why, oh why, couldn't you be born normal. Conceived without the need to play with everything you see and forgetting about it two minutes later. [Take Lillian's food] What was I talking about? Right. The roses need watering, and violets and technically purple. I have ADHD, but it doesn't define me. ~ C. Gallagher