In recent times, Gayle and I decided to leave the US to make our home in Australia... at least for the time being.

As reported on a World Health Alert, Gayle has a severe condition that is often know as the Heebie Jeebies, the Jim Jams, the Can't Copes or simply ADHD. We all know that these conditions can be controlled by the simple application of large doses of drugs.

Wrong.

Gayle has learnt over the years that having ADHD is a perfect cop-out for not listening to anyone, getting her own way, and generally pushing the envelope.

Little pills or not, Gayle is going to have ADHD and the world is going pay the price.
Now, don't get me wrong. Gayle is not cunning and devious, nor is she a pain in the 'whatever'. She is simply, a character. Everyone loves her... she makes friends at the drop of a hat, she has a high moral code, and she works incessantly at building our relationship, and doing 'stuff'.

Some of that stuff is highly relevant, most is not. All is part of her built in requirement to touch everything. She believes she is a tidy freak, a clean freak... she's not. She just has to touch everything everyday. She has been seen going on shopping expeditions to Big Lots (read Reject Shop or Dollar Store depending on your continent), with the express purpose of straightening out their stock. They are not sure whether they should pay her to leave, or charge her for the therapy session.

Like many women and most ADHD'ers, Gayle has some particular obsessions. Of course everyone (read 'all women' if I am allowed to be honest and politically incorrect) like to shop. This is not like that, this is on a whole different level.
The ADHD, the plain and simple bad habits, being bred as an American Consumer and the influence of Mawmaw have had their way with her mind, and she has totally succumbed.

Mawmaw was Gayle's mother, who is almost entirely responsible for the ways of her daughter. Every Thursday was the hair appointment, every Sunday was the Big Lots trip, and every day was the shopping channel. If anyone tells you that ADHD is not contagious or heriditary, they are barking mad. Of course Mawmaw had weight issues, but mainly so she had an excuse for buying new clothes.

There is the Imelda Marcos shoe collection, the constant issue with having a bad hair day and of course the weight issue. Now you may think that this is just 'being a woman' or 'I'm like that'.... Not so.

Gayle has increased these activities to an art-form.

Just to give a single out-of-place example, we visited the Eiffel Tower.
Gayle gave it a cursory glance, murmured, "There must be a great Souvenir Store here" and wandered off.

An hour later, all of the iconic trinkets were arranged neatly in Size, Price or Alphabetical order, dependent on her mood at that exact moment.

She had taken her pills, been screamed at by the staff and sworn at by the throngs of tourists in languages that the clergy do not know. But it needed to happen.
Oh, one other thing before I leave you to ponder at what could possibly be eventful on our travels across Europe and Asia.

Gayle knows her Left from her Right.

I was particularly aware of checking this out, before I put her in charge of navigation.

So when she says, "Turn Right Here!", I turn Right.

"But I meant you to turn Left, right here!"

You get the idea....



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