Finding Home - and 400 of my best friends too!

Last week, I wrote all about the importance of finding support, and specifically support groups for adults with ADHD.  As I was writing that post, I naturally began thinking of all the other ways I find support... and the places I think of as "home".   It occurred to me that for many of us, attending our first ADDA conference is when we first experience that sensation of being "home". 

I can't tell you the countless number of people - including past ADDA president David Giwerc among others - who've told me that attending an ADDA conference is the first time they felt comfortable and accepted in their entire adult lives.  If you've never attended an ADDA Conference, it's not an easily describable experience... but I'm going to try and paint a "picture" for you:

Imagine 500 adults - at least 2/3 and probably more - with ADHD in the same room.  Heck, just imagining them in the same hotel at the same time boggles the mind!  There's a light breakfast available before the first keynote address begins at 8:30, but somehow, the breakfast room is relatively empty until 8:29... and the ballroom where the keynote is to be resembles a ghost town!  Of course, that's ok, because our speaker - who also has ADD - hasn't gotten out of bed yet and a quick phone call to his room gets him moving! 

Now I have the dubious pleasure of making announcements (and stalling) until the speaker arrives.  Of course, the stalling part isn't that difficult because I've left my notes with the announcements in the conference office - or even worse, on the bed in my hotel room!  Since it's still early, the meds haven't quite kicked in yet, so trying to remember all the information is not really an option, but somehow... using humor and knowing that I have a forgiving audience... I muddle through without having to lead the crowd in rounds of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"  (which, by the way, I was willing to do if it came to that)! 

And what's going on with our speaker?  Well he's finally arrived - hair a little damp and breathing a little hard - but he's onstage and ready to go.  And go he does, eliciting both laughter and tears from the captivated audience.  And when he's done (right on time I might add), there's thunderous applause and a standing ovation not only for him, but also for us and all ADD adults and the accomplishments we've made both in spite of and because of our ADHD.  We were never really worried for a minute... years of conference planning for this group has taught us to add a little extra to the time schedule and plan for the typical "mishaps" that frequently befall ADHD adults, but that we consider perfectly normal!

Of course, I've completely skipped over the registration process... and the attendees who THOUGHT they'd registered online, but well... maybe not.  Or those who've lost their conference program books, return tickets, and / or hotel keys before they've walked away from the registration counter.  Or those who forgot to even make the hotel reservations; they were so pleased to have actually remembered to register for the conference!!