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Doesn’t it seem the more we want a quality or experience, it seems to slip out of our hands? For some interesting reason, the “Trickster” (specifically “Coyote”) have really been tripping me up lately and as I’ve posted before, forget trying to get a firm grasp on anything when Trickster demands your attention.
My medications as usual have caused havoc with my determination to be more “organized and structured,” within the last few days and life has be flashing by at the speed of light which is why I’m behind on life. Yep, Coyote is playing with me again.
I’ll have to share with you some time the many, many times Coyote has appeared to me in both the literal and magickal sense. He’s left me dumfounded, bamboozled (don’t you just love that word?), frustrated, and upside down with his usual elan of humour. I didn’t find anything funny about how Coyote made his presence known in the past, but now I laugh my head off and am grateful for his wry and skewed take on life and the ways he’s tripped me up.
I mean come on, who didn’t like Wile E. Coyote better than that obnoxious little know it all the “Road Runner” from the Warner Brother cartoons? I always sided with Wile E. even though he ended up with one disaster after another.
Remember that the “trickster” is not good or bad, black of white, etc…He or she’s the gray area of life that defies boundaries, definition and logic. The “trickster” is not a friend in the way most of us define it and he/she can be really harmful, but as long as we stay conscious and respectful of his/her medicine we may gain a wisdom to help us survive in the toughest of times.
Sigh, what’s a witch with ADD supposed to do, except learn how to laugh at my imperfections, try not to take life so seriously and realize that I’m never going to be the left-brained type of thinker that can pull a perfectly organized rabbit out of a metaphorical magicians hat?
And of course it would figure that my super organized, type A, dynamic son is like the “Road Runner” to my “Coyote” except don’t tell him that. I’m not knocking him or trying to belittle him in any way. He’s been clean and sober from a heroin addiction that almost killed him three years ago and if he were to entertain the Trickster, it would probably kill him again.
So, I just smile or rather grit my teeth after I get off of a phone conversation with him when he calmly lays out for me his three year plan. I’m serious! And then he seems to struggle with the fact that I can’t seem to lay out what I’ll be “planning” in the next hour. My son is so amazing though and I couldn’t be prouder of him than I already am. It’s always a balancing act with him though, ya know?
He’s always been one of those extremely driven type of individuals who sets his mind on a goal and just “does it” unlike me who has to struggle with planning my next hour. And it’s interesting that he also has A.D.D. but he has hyperactivity where as I’m lucky enough to have the “inattentive” type of ADD. He’s always on the go, an incredible athlete, has no time for dreaming or wool gathering and is just as opposite me as you can get, except for our mutual love of animals and disdain of right-wing, fundamentalist conservatives 
I was inspired to write about the Trickster, my son and my general chaotic life when I received a poem today in the email. I love poetry and signed up for a group that sends out a different poem each day so when I saw today’s poem it all came together for me (at least something did) and voilà! I laughed when I finished reading it and thought you’d enjoy it to.
So, while I try to catch up with all of your blogs, emailing you back and accepting my sporadic blogging schedule, I leave you with this poem..and of course the trickster highly approves of it while he’s laughing his ass off.
By the way, if you want to read an amazing anthology of the “trickster” check this book out. It’s called “The Coyote Road” and the editors are, Terri Windling and Ellen Daltrow who do a bang-up job as usual. Each story is written by a different author and so far I’m loving each story about “Coyote” the trickster. (As they say, “Tricks are for kids…” ba da boom, I know bad pun. )
See how I got side-tracked from the poem? Now, THAT’S Coyote for you ; )
~Quit Your Addiction~
Quit your addiction
to sneer and complaint.
Try a little flaunt
Call for comrades
who bolster your vim
and offer you risk.
Corral the crones,
Goose the nice nellies,
Hunt the bear that hugs
and the raven that quoths.
Stay up all night
to devise a new dawn.”
~ James Broughton ~
So, what latest tricks have all of YOU been up to?
(Image Credits:
“Fur Affinity – April Banner” by ~Foxfeather248
“Got Meat?” by ~CoyoteTracks182
“Wile E. Coyote” by ~Grion
“Coyote Teaches” by ~skippycoyote
“Wile E. Coyote STAMP” by ~pofezional
“Trickster’s Advocate” by ~poisonousxshroom)
Disclaimer: I take no responsibility if this blog post has left YOU bamboozled or confused. You can blame it all on Coyote.
© 2011, Wendy S.. All rights reserved.
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May 16, 2012: Momma told us there’d be days like this…
May 10, 2012: My guilty pleasures
May 4, 2012: Turn and Face the Strange Changes
April 18, 2012: The Uncertainty of Life
You know, one of the things you might do is look for the power inherent in ADD. It surely has some gifts to offer; I know depression does. What are they?
Off the top of my head, I’d imagine that you can dismiss things that might drive the rest of us into the arms of the Absinthe Fairy, or her cousin, the Tequila Gnome.
And I would imagine that your thoughts are lightning-quick. That speed is something to respect; it might be that you will be able to set up an elaborate spell, and then set it off to work perfectly with one swift action.
Watch OK Go’s video for “This Too Shall Pass” (with the sound off, if you don’t like them) to see what I mean. One motion sets all of that into play. Perhaps your ADD is a call to find the one motion.
Don’t we all really, deep down, identify with Wile E. Coyote? He is us.
But on another note, isn’t one of the slogans used in the 12 steps “Live and Let Live”? Sounds like your son hasn’t learned what that means yet. Hopefully he will some day as he gets older and wiser.
well I am ADHD, and so are my son and youngest daughter. It seems the main manifestation in each of use is a little different. I have a tendency to by hyper when around other people, very talkative, animated and so on. and I have to have my hands moving (which is thankfully where my artist brain comes in handy) yet I am also very analytical when it comes to situations, experiences and behaviors. (drives hubby crazy…he says i would make an excellent PI, especially since I usually do not miss a trick, and observe what many do not) However, I am EASILY distracted (part of the reason I am, and never have been a great test taker) The jokes about being mid-sentence and going off on another tangent because your eye caught something, does happen to me. I OFTEN have poor impulse control, and blurt out exactly what I am thinking, instead of stopping and hashing it out in my mind first. I used to be on effexor, which they said would be good for my anxiety and my ADHD. I think it helped a bit with distraction when I was off at college. Otherwise I do not think it was that great. They tried Concerta when it first came out but it made my BP go way up.
Now, I am on nothing for the ADHD, and haven’t been in about 4 years. I am on an anti-depressant, since the depression set in after all my loss, and an anti-anxiety. I am an most likely always will be an impulse buyer and eater…not compulsive. I do have GREAT organizational skills–when it comes to other people especially or for fun things. I was an awesome event planner for the Girl Scouts. ALL of my events always came back with sterling evaluations, whether it be for my troops (I always seemed to have 2) or my entire service unit. Even though My craft room is still in a dream phase, for the most part, I know where my stuff is, even though it is scattered here and there among 5 different rooms.
My son, is totally UNorganized, somewhat easily distracted, but for his lazy, laid back lifestyle he doesn’t care. His whole BODY was hyperactive growing up, couldn’t sit still or stay in one place, now he is like that when around others, which is why I think his “air soft” war games is such a joy for him. Members of his “squadron” all call him the crazy man, and send him in first to knock down walls or whatever…he is still a little boy very much, at the age of 25, and he couldn’t plan anything and see it to fruition. My daughter is hyper of mouth and hands, she could never keep her hands off stuff, even got her in trouble several times, as in spraying postal worker dog spray in her and her brothers face. (it was in the glove box of the truck–I ran into the convenience store for milk) She has been and from time to time still is a bit of a kleptomaniac. I keep urging her to get help for this. she’ll be 24 on the 6th. I often worry about her taking money from her job. As I know several people in real life who have done this and got caught. I am afraid it may some day happen to her. I say this because she has stolen from us. sometimes it might just be a few singles I have out loose, or sometimes it is 30$ off my debit card. It isn’t for drugs, it is because she can’t keep money, she is a very COMPULSIVE shopper–clothes mainly. I have seen the regret sometimes afterwards when she has shopped…she’ll be looking in her wallet or on the computer screen at her acct. and mumble to herself, something along the lines of …”I might have to take something back” however, she is a hard worker and has an excellent work ethic. no calling out, also offers to cover other people’s shifts if they call out etc. I can not say the same about her on again off again relationship with college courses.
That is because in her junior year she stopped taking her concerta. she doesn’t want to be on pills (except BC) she is supposed to use a nasal inhaler and refuses (son too) she is much more organized than my son. I could never give them credit for a 3 year plan, at least not one that will pan out. Tom is forever telling me what is is going to be doing, but it is always something ridiculous or dreamlike, far-reaching. Something we as older and wiser humans know will not happen. Amanda does not even try to plan that far in advance, but months ahead yes.
My oldest daughter, the one with major mental or emotional issues, can plan, and has my determination for making the plan work, it may need a small tweek now and again but it is the plan, and she always sees it through.
I used to have a friend with ADD, she blamed EVERYTHING on it. Living with it myself, and raising 2 kids with it, and studying it, and research papers and presentations in child psych and educational psych classes has taught me a LOT. ADD has nothing to do with being totally scatter-brained or absent minded, or extremely forgetful. She will also self medicate with her ADD medication (adderall) when she is going someplace that is of importance to her, or doing an activity, she’ll take another pill a few hours before. She said her doctor knows this, and gives her plenty of sample boxes to that end. I am like ok, what does that say about the doctor?
Anyway, I guess what I am trying to get at is, possibly it is a combination of your ADD and Bi-Polar that gives you the poor planning issues. As i am only judging by the people I know around me, and the research I’ve done, but most adults with ADD can plan things at least day to day. Some more than that, but on average one full day at a time, is doable. I find the coyotes in my life tend to be, My husband, my house, my other health concerns, and my kidlets, but hey they are out on their own, so that is just a mother’s worry, which in my case is worse due to the anxiety.
Might I suggest a wipe off board, you can write on it LARGELY as to see it and to help you.
You are always in my thoughts Wendy!
Mind-clearing energy coming out to you
love n blessings,
Sue
Oh my, this gave me some insight into my relationship with my mother, I think. She is definitely a roadrunner to my Wile E. Coyote. In fact, she is the roadrunner to my entire family of coyotes. The hubs, both kids, and myself all are “blessed” wih the distractable kind of ADD, too, though we each react to it differently. My husband and son are able to hyper-focus on things that interest them (work for the hubby and video games for my son). My daughter seems to just wander aimlessly through life with no focus at all, though she can hear a song once and know the words. And me, I’m the daydreamer. I can pull it together when I absolutely, positively have to, but most of the time my mind isn’t in the here and now. It’s no wonder we drive my mother insane and at the same time resent her criticisms and attempts to correct our errant ways.
Hi Wendy! I’m sorry it has taken me such a long time to get here.
Thank you again for another insightful and honest post. I think the trickster gets the best of all of us at times. I, too, adore poetry. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful one here – I’m not familiar with it. Stay well, dear friend, and I hope to hear from you soon.