BLOG LAUNCH!

"Mocking bird in the Galapagos tapping on my camera lens" by Chris Willis

Well here it is–my first post on THE ODD BIRD. I’m a blogger now, and I come to the task as a frustrated perfectionist with Nonverbal Learning Disability. I wanted this blog to look sharp from day one. It does not. That’s because I allowed the uglies–my inner demons to hold me back a bit during the development process. Fear of failure lead to anxiety–anxiety lead to daydreaming–daydreaming lead to a slowdown in an already slow writing process. This has happened before. As someone with NLD, I’ve had my share of missteps and failures, and I’m not eager to relive those painful experiences. Things need to change.

I wasn’t diagnosed with NLD until I was nearly forty. I’d long believed that my struggles in school and the workplace were rooted in some atypical way of being, but couldn’t identify what that was. I’m under-employed, work part-time as a sales clerk in a small retail shop and live with my mother in Massachusetts, USA. I’m also an independent media maker who’s researching and developing a documentary film also titled THE ODD BIRD about my experiences with NLD and the challenges I encounter in an effort to establish a normal adult life. The film will include interactions with other adults, who are coping with NLD–with varying degrees of success–as I try to understand my disability, identify my talents and create a fulfilling social life.

For those of you unfamiliar with NLD, here’s an example of how problematic it can be: I have face-blindness. This means that I can randomly forget a familiar face in an instant. A few years ago, I had to pick my mother up from the airport. My father had died, and after much of the legal work accompanying his death was completed, she took a two-week trip home to California to see her siblings. In baggage claim, I couldn’t identify her among the passengers waiting for their luggage. After spotting a woman I thought might be her–petite, plump, silver-haired–I was afraid to greet her in case she was a stranger. I finally did approach her, and I was right. She was my mother. However, the only way I could tell was by the familiar way she said hello.

Having NLD is painful–others see you as odd, and the world is a difficult place to navigate. I’m telling my story  not only to self-express but to increase awareness about a disorder that can devastate the lives of so many people. This blog will serve as an eclectic social media journal that follows the film’s creation. Along the way, I’ll share stories of struggles and accomplishments as well as how NLD affects and enhances my creative process. I’m learning much about a neurological disorder I’d never heard of before diagnosis; I’m also discovering strengths I never knew I had. A lot of you with NLD can relate.  Please share some of your own stories, compensations tips and concerns. See you Wednesday.