I forgot my allergy appointment yesterday.
But because December showed up like, “Surprise! Let’s ruin your executive function.”
Not because I didn’t care.
Not because I didn’t set a reminder.
Instead of calmly attending a medical appointment like a responsible adult, I was out buying last-minute gift cards like I was on a scavenger hunt with no map. At some point I looked down and thought, Why do I have so many gift cards and none of them are for me?
Meanwhile, winter recital season is in full swing. Multiple kids. Multiple schools. Multiple start times. Multiple “you need to be there 30 minutes early” emails that all blur together. I am surviving entirely on Google Calendar and vibes.
At home, I’m wrapping gifts at midnight like a raccoon who found tape. The floor is covered in shredded wrapping paper, my scissors have disappeared, and every present is aggressively mislabeled “TO: ??? FROM: MOM.” Festive.
Oh, and cleaning. Because apparently people are coming over and we must pretend we live like this all the time. I clean for hours, step back to admire my work, and immediately watch the house revert to chaos like it’s possessed.
My brain currently has 47 tabs open, 12 of them are playing Christmas music I can’t turn off, and one is just screaming, “YOU FORGOT SOMETHING IMPORTANT,” but refuses to say what.
Honestly, if I had octopus arms, I might still be behind. I need one arm for coffee, one for driving kids, one for wrapping, one for cleaning, one for checking emails, one for remembering appointments, one for crying in the bathroom for 90 seconds, and one just to hold my sanity together with duct tape.
And yet… somehow… things are still happening. The kids are showing up. The gifts are getting wrapped (eventually). The house is mostly standing. The appointment can be rescheduled.
So if you’re reading this feeling scattered, fried, and slightly unhinged, congratulations. You’re not broken. You’re just in December with ADHD. We’re doing our best. We’re showing up. And honestly? That counts.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go figure out what I forgot again.
Flo is a content creator, voiceover artist, and mom who survives chaos with humor and honesty. She writes about ADHD, parenting, and everyday burnout because laughing is cheaper than therapy. Chronic multitasker, proud overthinker, aspiring octopus.