The Eclectic Writer

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. James 3:17

Heavenly wisdom is pure, first and foremost.  In other words, nothing corrupt comes from heaven.  When we rely on our own wisdom in dealing with situations we are not relying on a reliable source.  Of ourselves we will misconstrue what people are saying, misinterpret their meanings and our feelings will be hurt.  In our pain we will lash out, show disrespect and our arrogance and pride will become a stumbling block for those who are trying to strengthen their relationship with God.

Heavenly wisdom is peace-loving, considerate, and submissive.  No where do I see it being passive.  Wisdom that comes from God cannot be contained in by our finite minds.  It needs to go out, that’s why he gives it to us.

We must act on the wisdom that he gives us in order to be obedient.  Our words must be peaceful and not provoking, even if we disagree.  We cannot be partial to one person, giving them our attention while ignoring another who has a need.  Being submissive does not mean lying down and allowing others to walk all over us. It means not being argumentative, listening to what they have to say and stating our case.  It means being obedient to those in charge so long as it does not go against Christ.

Heavenly wisdom is full of good fruit and mercy.  Don’t condemn a person for not understanding.  Don’t belittle someone who disagrees.  Be patient, understanding, objective and a witness to the life that Christ has given us.  Under no circumstances is heavenly wisdom to be used for destruction, but instead it should be used for edification of their hearts and glorification of God.

Woodruff, Micheal. Challenge: Daily Devotions for the Common Christian . Micheal D. Woodruff. Kindle Edition.

Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Challenge: Daily Devotions for the Common Christian”

Born Again at a young age, Micheal has often struggled with his walk with the Lord. Throughout his life he has been compared to many Biblical figures but has always felt he failed in his life and his walk with God. Being a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to many of his neurodivergent traits. Though he often argues with God, he is a firm believer in Christ Jesus and it is through that faith that he continues despite the daily struggles he’s faced with.

He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available on Spotify,  Audible,  Amazon Music,  YouTube music, and many more places.

When you get rid of the victim mentality you free yourself from the burden of placing blame. Things happen. It’s a moment. You can either be stuck on the side of the road for the rest of your life or you can accept it and move on.

When you no longer have to find someone or something to blame, your emotional load becomes lighter. You learn from what happened and take steps so that it doesn’t happen again. Not by placing the blame everywhere else, but by not allowing a situation to become the focal point of everything in your life.

Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Dismantling the Stigmas: 10 Truths about ADHD”.

As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is certified in Unlocking Your Potential with ADHD. He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available onSpotify,  Audible,  Amazon Music,  YouTube music, and many more places.

Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Dismantling the Stigmas: 10 Truths about ADHD”.

As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is certified in Unlocking Your Potential with ADHD. He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available onSpotify,  Audible,  Amazon Music,  YouTube music, and many more places.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27

God was specific in how he created the earth and its inhabitants.  Before creating man he set the place up for them.  He created the garden, the animals, the sky, the sea and the terrain before he created man.  He planned specifically to make man in His image and he did so after he created the rest of the world.  Now why would he do such a thing? It’s a matter of respect.  True, God could have created man, then made the world around him.  True, God could have made man and the world, creating the animals last.  True, God could have made all the things he made in any order that he wanted to, but he chose to make man after everything was set up.  Even from the beginning, God showed us respect for our individuality, our personalities and our likeness to him.  He did this knowing that we would turn away from him, knowing that we would outright reject his Love and knowing that we would not return the respect.  How, when given this example of His respect for us, can we deny the same to others? Your friends, your enemies, that guy or gal that asks too many questions are all made in the likeness of God.  That doesn’t mean that they are gods in themselves or that you are either, nor does it mean that they are perfect.  It does mean that they are to be shown the same respect that you would like to receive from them.  In that fashion our attitudes will be closer to that of God’s and in being so, we come closer to the image of God than we otherwise would be.

Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Challenge: Daily Devotions for the Common Christian”

Born Again at a young age, Micheal has often struggled with his walk with the Lord. Throughout his life he has been compared to many Biblical figures but has always felt he failed in his life and his walk with God. Being a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to many of his neurodivergent traits. Though he often argues with God, he is a firm believer in Christ Jesus and it through that faith that he continues the daily struggles he’s faced with.

He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available on Spotify,  Audible,  Amazon Music,  YouTube music, and many more places.

Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES) don’t have to control your life. When they hit, you can take back control.

Neurodivergent Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Dismantling the Stigmas: 10 Truths about ADHD”.

As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is certified in Unlocking Your Potential with ADHD. He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available on Spotify,  Audible,  Amazon Music,  YouTube music, and many more places.

A crack of thunder jolted Serene from her sleep. The basement was dark. Musty. Stale. Mildew- ugh. Something crawled across her arm. She jumped to her feet and knocked her shin on the coffee table.

She heard her phone bounce off the table and onto the cold concrete floor. She leaned down and pressed her fingers on the table. Using it as a guide, and trying to ignore whatever semi-sticky substance was on it, Serene made her way to where she thought the phone landed.

She crawled on her hands and knees, meticulously expanding her search area.

“What was that?” she heard something above her.

Footsteps?

Her hand bumped into something. It felt like her Phone. It had to be. She picked it up and fumbled with it before realizing that she hadn’t charged it since yesterday.

“Way to go Serene.” She chided herself.

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Her eyes had adjusted to the dark, a little, and she tried to orient herself to find the elevator or the stairs. The smell was getting to her. “Something rotten in Denmark”

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She muttered under her breath. Without thinking, every Edgar Allan Poe poem she knew came to mind. Especially the Tell-Tale Heart. She could imagine herself being stuck under the floorboards for all eternity. She thought of the sticky stuff on the coffee table. “Well Gilead, there’s your balm.”

“Get a grip,” she told herself.

She finally made out the shape of stairs and started toward them, she took her steps with caution, not wanting to bump into anything else. Thirteen steps later she came to a door.

“Don’t be locked,” she whispered. “Please don’t be locked.”

She turned the knob and to her relief the door opened. The lighting wasn’t much better but she could see that she wasn’t holding her phone. Instead, it was a rectangular thing with two holes in it. She turned to look down the stairs.

She paused for a moment, not wanting to go back into that dark musty basement. It had been so nice when she first got down there, but now. She took a deep breath and let it out slow. She needed her phone.

She carefully searched around the coffee table for her phone. Her hand touched the couch and she recoiled.

“Not there,” she held back the impulse to puke. “Never there. Never again.” Looking around, her eyes adjusted to the light, and she shook her head. “This is no place for sleeping.”

Her phone vibrated, startling her. She picked up the phone and answered the incoming call. “Of course, I’m here.”

The phone went dead. She stared at the blank screen, trying to will it to come to life. Nothing happened. All she heard was “are you there?”. She didn’t even have a chance to find out who it was.

Phone in one hand and, whatever it is, in the other, Serene made her way back upstairs. She made her way back to the kitchen where the last slivers of sunlight made it through the windows. She looked at the object with the two holes, each with small plastic spikes. After turning it over and over, reading the words P-tra, B-at -he sy-tem, she realized what it was. An old cassette tape.

“I wonder if there’s something to play it with?” She looked around the kitchen but there was nothing there. She headed down the hall, passed the door to the basement with a shiver and a shrug, and made her way upstairs. She could barely see where she was going and it only got darker the higher she went.

At the top of the stairs, she saw a glimmering light coming from her right. Odd, earlier that had been a dead end. She followed the light to a slightly opened door. She pushed on it and discovered a room. It was like stepping through time, again, to some long-lost era. Everything was old, brightly colored, and posters of people with really long, really high hair. They were dressed in ancient fashion, like the 80’s or something.

In one corner she saw a huge box with buttons, slides, slots. It had huge speakers on either side and knobs on the top. She pressed buttons until one of the compartments opened up. It took her a couple of tries, but she figured out how to put the cassette in. A few more button fumbles and she managed to get it to play.

She sat on the floor, leaned against the bed, and listened to the crackly music as it played. It was weird, but she started to feel the music and relax. Her tension and worries fading away.

Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Dismantling the Stigmas: 10 Truths about ADHD”.

As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is certified in Unlocking Your Potential with ADHD. He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available on Spotify,  Audible,  Amazon Music,  YouTube music, and many more places.

 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Russel Barkley: Loneliness & ADHD

Maria Romaszkan: The Connection between ADHD and Loneliness

John Kruse: We’re Reshaping Our Brains With Loneliness and ADHD

Micheal Woodruff: Dismantling the Stigma: 10 Truths about ADHD

State of mind.

Let’s relax for a moment. Imagine that you’re reading this on a white sandy beach. The sun is shining, the slight breeze coming off the water is just enough to keep you comfortable. Your muscles are relaxed and your mind is at ease.

You look out at the water. Crystal blue water in a quiet cove. A lagoon that you’ve only seen in movies and your imagination. The sky has a few tracing clouds moving at such a calming pace you feel like you could just drift away with them.

You curl your toes in the soft white sand, feeling it between your toes, giving yourself a natural foot massage. The waves lap the shore ever so gently, taking your stress away to the depths of the sea with each pass. You don’t even have to close your eyes to imagine it. The natural ebb and flow are seamless.

Without warning, it starts to rain. Pelting cold rain coming from behind you. The peaceful lagoon turns into a torrent of waves. Crashing the shore. The temperature drops forty degrees. You get up. Run for shelter. Your feet landing on every seashell along the way.

You look back. The lagoon has taken your spot. The sky is dark. The sun has been swallowed. Menacing, lightning-filled clouds above. Thunder shakes your very bones. You find yourself in the midst of a hurricane.

I know, not the best image to have in mind. Sure, it started out nice. How did it make you feel? Comfortable? Relaxed? Stressless? Then what happened? The scene changed from tranquility to terror. You were no longer relaxed, comfortable, and far from stress-free.

The state of mind that we put ourselves into, or allow others to put us into, affects our physical being. It has the capacity to cripple us where we are or catapult us to where we want to be.

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Thoughts can cripple.

If you have any kind of phobia, you know how bad it can get. For me, I’m acrophobic. I don’t like heights. Even looking up at a tall building or playing a video game where my character is on a cliff can activate my fear. My heart races, my breathing becomes rapid and shallow. My eyes dilate. My whole body becomes tense. I’m not up there, but my mind puts me there and my body reacts.

There are hundreds if not thousands of phobias. There are countless things that we can be afraid of. Sometimes the fear is small or singular. Like the neighbor’s cat that, for whatever reason, scares the hell out of you. Some fears are larger, like claustrophobia. Some fears come from our personal experiences and others just seem to manifest for no reason.

My fear of heights didn’t start until my early twenties. Before then, I would climb trees, get on rooftops, climb on ladders, and have no problems with roller coasters. One day I was climbing a ladder and suddenly I was afraid. There was no logic behind it but the fear was there just the same. Now, whenever I think about high places, my body reacts to the fear.

Thoughts can catapult.

Being acrophobic, the idea of being catapulted by anything is a scary thought. So, to keep my physical reactions in check, I’ll focus on the metaphorical catapult.

Let’s take the vision of starting your own business. Perhaps you are looking at becoming a life coach with a specialized niche. It’s early in the process so you’re doing a lot of research. You’ve taken courses by Robbins-Madanes, Bob Proctor, or any number of life coach experts. You have a notebook or two full of wise words, tidbits you’ve picked up, study aids, and ideas for your own business.

You’ve pictured yourself where you want to be in a year’s time and you’ve launched your business. You have focus points hanging on your wall, on your phone, and on your desktop. You keep that vision alive when you go to sleep and it’s the first thing you see when you wake up. You know your circumstances don’t match the vision yet, but you truly believe you will be there when the time comes.

You stay in a constant state of readiness. Studying, reaching out to people, practicing your conversations in the mirror. You know that the best way to help other people is to get past those very obstacles you want to help them get past.

Time passes by and before you realize it, you’ve got clients. You’re helping people and you’re starting to earn some money from it. You continue with your mind on your goal. Your thoughts on what will be. You feel the joy of accomplishment with every meeting. You learn more about yourself and how you can help your clients. Your business grows.

Neurodivergent Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Finding a balance.

Reality. Ugh. Probably the most bitter-tasting word in the English language. Not because reality itself is so bad, though it might be, but because of the implication it has. As though having a dream isn’t part of reality. Like having a goal is merely a fantasy.

People have told you to face reality. You’re struggling because ‘reality’ is telling you that you’re not good enough or you don’t deserve your dreams. Reality can be a slap in the face for anyone who is working towards their goals.

Your dream. Your goal. Your reality.

Thomas Edison’s reality was a world where electricity was harnessed in the form of light bulbs. Lewis Latimer’s reality was a more productive filament for those lightbulbs. Walt Disney’s reality was Disneyworld.

Their reality existed long before the rest of the world experienced them. The same is true for your goals, your dream, and your reality. Not because you ignore the setbacks. Everyone has setbacks and they address them. They found things that worked and things that didn’t. They learned, improved, and faced the reality of others with the determination that their reality will become everyone else’s reality as well.

Imagine if the reality of the times kept Edison from his reality. Our world would be very different. What if Latimer decided that the filament created by Alexander Lodygin was good enough? What if you decide that your dreams should remain dreams?

Reality can be harsh, but it can also be inspiring. When you look at your vision of your future, how does it make you feel? Pretty good doesn’t it? When you put yourself in that reality your entire perspective changes. Like being on that beach by the lagoon.

Knowing that there are going to be storms, you can prepare yourself. You can brace your mind for the setbacks that will come. You don’t ignore the fact that things will become difficult or that you will fail. You prepare for them and adjust your strategy. You don’t erase your reality because someone else doesn’t see it yet.

Thoughts lead to success.

I still climb ladders and get on rooves. I don’t let my fear cripple me (most of the time), but I know my limitations. I don’t hang out by the edge. I control my actions by reminding myself of what I can and cannot do.

The same is true for realizing your vision — your reality. Know your limitations but work to overcome them. Remind yourself of what you already know. You can do this. You have your goal for a reason and you will accomplish it. It will take time. It will take focus. It will take determination.

The stronger your vision, the more detailed your goal, the more real it becomes. Your fear won’t overpower you. Your determination will drive you. Your focus will lead you. Your reality will become a reality that others will see as clearly as you see it now.

#honoreecorder

Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Dismantling the Stigmas: 10 Truths about ADHD”.

As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is certified in Unlocking Your Potential with ADHD. He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available on Spotify,  Audible,  Amazon Music,  YouTube music, and many more places.

“Reading room?” Serene asked. “The house is only two stories. This is like, three. How is that possible?”

The man smiled, “Well, they say that libraries are the tallest buildings in the world.”

“Yeah, because it has so many stories. I’ve heard that one.” She looked around again, still in awe at the sheer size of the room.

“Your book is here.” The man stepped aside to reveal a small pedestal with a book on it. Engraved on the cover was Serene’s Story: Not as boring as she thought.

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Serene walked up to the book and chuckled. “This is some kind of joke isn’t it?” She turned to the man and gasped. There was no one there. The room was suddenly smaller. Much smaller. What was several stories just a moment ago was now barely twelve feet high. The vast room had become no larger than an average bedroom. The meager shelves that remained were bare and covered in dust and cobwebs. The chairs were barely recognizable as chairs.

She looked at the pedestal with her book on it, covered in dust, and found it open. She blew away what dust she could, wiping some of the more persistent dirt away with her hand. She began reading and stepped back.

It was her childhood, written from someone else’s perspective. How she had spent most of her time reading and shying away from everyone. She hid herself in her books. She read in her closet when the fighting started. Her childhood and teenage years were spent trying to escape the reality of her life.

She stepped forward and continued to read, turning page after page of details of her past. Even her thoughts and feelings were written on the paper. With each word, memories came flooding back. Memories she never wanted to face ever again.

She slammed the book closed.

Neurodivergent Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

“You’re sick!” She yelled at the ceiling. “This isn’t funny.” She turned to storm out the door she came from, but there was no door. Only a wall. She turned around and noticed that there were only walls. No shelves. No furniture. No pedestal and no book.

“You’d think I’d be used to it by now.” She spoke softly as she moved across the room. “Things popping up and vanishing like that.” She chuckled, “I’m in a mad house or I’m going mad. I’m getting mad, that’s for sure. How the hell do I get out of here?”

She crossed the room and found a door on the other side. The door resisted at first, but she wasn’t going to get trapped in a room that was or wasn’t or… She used her shoulder to help force the door open.

Serene took a few steps and noticed a banister. She leaned over it, being careful not to put any weight on it in case it wasn’t really there. She could see the hallway below her, the one that led to the kitchen. She could see the front door, her way out. As she stepped over and stood at the top of the stairs she noticed something that made her stop.

When she arrived at the house, the staircase was covered in dust. Untouched for an unknown amount of time. Perhaps years. Now, there were footsteps leading down. On a hunch, she carefully compared her shoe size to the shoe print in the dust. An exact match.

Even the treads, she checked, were the same. She took a step back and tried to figure out how that was possible. Shaking off the possible and impossible, she decided there had to be a different way.

Then she heard footsteps. Someone running. She could hear the heavy breathing. She pushed herself up against the wall to hide herself from whoever was coming down the hall. She held her breath for a moment.

Then she heard footsteps starting to move away. She peered over the banister just in time to see someone returning to the hallway. There was something familiar about the figure that she saw.

Someone else was in the house and she had to find out who. She started down the stairs, afraid to call out in case the other person wasn’t so friendly. Serene would watch them first, then decide.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs she turned and noticed something. There were no new shoe prints in the dust. Even though she didn’t pay any attention to where she stepped. There should have been two sets but there was only one. She stared at them, confused. Another nonsensical feature of a house that made no sense.

Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Dismantling the Stigmas: 10 Truths about ADHD”.

As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is certified in Unlocking Your Potential with ADHD. He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available on Spotify,  Audible,  Amazon Music,  YouTube music, and many more places.