June 20, 2025: desire lines

It’s probably no surprise to my friends, but last year I was diagnosed with adult ADHD and I have been living and working with that SUPER helpful diagnosis ever since. A couple of weeks ago, CBC Ideas ran a two part series on ADHD and the Myth of Normal. Well worth a listen, especially for the part where neurodivergence is discussed as an evolutionary advantage. I especially appreciate that Edward Hallowell features in this series, as his book (with John Ratey) ADHD 2.0 has been massively helpful to me. I keep it close by as a user manual for my brain.

Speaking of books, I’m currently reading The Beekeeper’s Question by my friend and mentor Christina Baldwin. It is a beautifully written novel, and contains typically Christina turns of phrase and observations. The beekeeper’s actual question is so very Christina that if you know her it will break your face into a wide grin of recognition. The book attacks deeply important questions about our current society with a story set in the 1940s, long enough ago that the patterns are repeating again, and the lines connect then to now.

Chris Bolton’s lovely meditation on desire paths introduces a new term to me: Sneckdown. “Sneckdown” is a relatively new word used to describe the patterns of affordances that cars leave when driving in snow. This has to be one of the most Canadian words you can imagine but all those who live through urban northern winters know what this means.

We do indeed desire better futures, better societies, better ways to work together, right? I keep holding out hope, but this important piece tells us what the constraints are if we want to rebuild and reimagine democracy, let alone build a world where care and support are there to build wellness and prosperity. Is it over? It’s kind of over. What could be next?

To wrap up this week, my first as a 57 year old, I feel seen.