Pray For Me: I have H.S.D.
"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it."
- Robin Williams -
Simply transfer Steem or SBD to @creatr.
Although I had long suspected I had a problem,
I was first diagnosed only about fifteen years ago.
H.S.D.
Though I still shudder at the very initials, the time is long past for me to remain silent about my disease.
H.S.D. is a terrible, crippling affliction.
Recent estimates suggest that as many as 16% of Americans may struggle with this ailment in one form or another. Like all too many diseases, the root cause of H.S.D. is still shrouded in mystery.
I've lived with H.S.D. for most of my life, though in earlier years not knowing its name.
Rarely curable, H.S.D. may affect as many as 16%.
Image courtesy of jesse orrico and http://unsplash.com
H.S.D. is a form of mental illness.
At the present time, there is no known, or at least no widely accepted cure.
H.S.D. is an aberration in thinking that can range from mildly influencing behavior, to what even a novice observer might conclude is evidence of severe brain damage. Unfortunately, I personally tend toward the stark end of that spectrum.
H.S.D. is generally not treatable with conventional mood-altering pharmaceuticals, although some unsanctioned experimentation has been done with alcohol and cannabis.
Surprisingly, it wasn't a psychiatric professional who advanced the original diagnosis.
Undeniable Symptoms of H.S.D.
Original image by @creatr
About fifteen years ago,
I attended a symposium in Oregon.
The general topic was Inertial Propulsion, and the specific conference focus was the Gyroscopic Inertial Thruster (G.I.T.) under development by the conference organizer.
Another attendee, in the course of observing and speaking with me, paused suddenly in the middle of a conversation.
"I know what your problem is."
For several long seconds, I was shocked into silence. Finally, I ventured a feeble response.
"...Waa...whaaat?"
"You're suffering from H.S.D."
"H.S.D? What is H.S.D?"
"Horizontal Surface Disease."
"What?"
"Consciously or not, you inevitably clutter up any and all available horizontal surfaces."
It was as if a light had suddenly gone on. Focusing on his words, for the first time in my life, I understood the root cause of my mental and emotional struggle.
H.S.D. "Horizontal Surface Disease."
The Heartbreak of H.S.D.—All Too Evident.
Original image by @creatr
Now that I know what to call my affliction,
life is marginally better. But living day in and day out with this death sentence? It wears on me.
How do I survive?
It takes a lot of compassionate interaction with my fellow man, as well as an occasional explosive expletive from my wife to keep me on track from day to day.
When things get too far out of hand, I have been known on occasion to attend a local support group.
"Hello, I'm Duncan, and I have H.S.D."
"Hi, Duncan!"
Will you please pray for me?
H.S.D. may not be curable, but I would like to at least manage the symptoms and minimize the issues that go with them. My ability to accomplish essential tasks is at stake.
Thank you in advance for your prayers and your kind and compassionate consideration.
~FIN~
P.S. If you have an "in" with anybody at Steemit, Inc. - Would you please ask them to get rid of these damn, extremely annoying "off-website" arrow/boxes? The have, overnight, made Steemit ugly. There are much better solutions.
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Oh, @creatr, I know how you must suffer. I too have been afflicted with this disease for as long as I can remember, my mother can attest.
I try to clean the affected areas, but it always comes back, sometimes with a vengeance.
Perhaps someday, a cure, a more simple life that doesn't require so many thoughts, papers, and things. I can see it now...
Thank you, @camille1234, for your thoughtful and entertaining comment, and for the supporting cartoon!
Much appreciated!
😄😇😄
Oh My!!! H.S.D. is more prevalent than I thought. I have always been concerned about my daughter @camille1234 and how this nefarious disorder has overrun her household but now to learn that my dear friend @creatr has the same disorder. I feel like I should reach for an unsanctioned experiment just in case H.S.D. is contagious.
Sorry to hear about your daughter... I wish her a speedy recovery!
If you do end up running a clinical study on the topic, I hope you will publish the results. ;)
Great idea I will get right on that!
I apologize that this sounds like a social disease, but is there a VSD?
Gravity has pretty much eliminated that as a human weakness...
Now, if we all lived on the International Space Station, we might suffer from V.S.D....
But you have brought other possibilities to mind... G.S.S.D. for example...
"Gradually Sloping Surface Disease," which is no doubt a variation on H.S.D. ;)
Ah! I think I have H.S.D. as well! Now it all becomes clear.
No matter how much I declutter my desk, my office, my workshop, I find more stuff to put back on it.
In my feeble brain, I searched for a solution. For me, it meant: MORE BOOKSHELVES ARE NEEDED.
So I bought a bunch of shelving units for my garage/workcenter, and a big bookshelf for my office.
The result? I now have more horizontal surfaces to put stuff on, and somehow everything is more cluttered than it was before. And all my shelves are full.
I think I'll just step slowly away from all of it and maybe go sit in my pool. Hard to clutter up a pool; most of it sinks to the bottom...except all these dozens of floaty inflatable things around me...where the heck did they all come from?
I love your solution! Genius incarnate! :D
And thus, Jordan Peterson's suggestion to all people: "Clean up your room". Is very apropos and really does help.
<Deep, deep sigh...>
I do NOT have HSD ... but my husband does.
I would give you steem or SBD to support you... but it would only end up scattered all over your desk with receipts and notes and to-do- lists
so i'm actually HELPING you by keeping my steem to myself hehehehe
this was funny.. but not funny. because it's real. and its annoying to the wives of hubbies with HSD!!!!
Ah, get over it... ;)
Annoying is for a day; a husband is forever... :D
@creatr I think you're not the only one with HSD, at least today I knew a new pathology. Receive a big hug
finished reading the post, the first thing I did was see my desk, I definitely suffer from HSD, I'll have to find a cure.
Thank you very much dear friend @creatr for sharing this information
Hahahahaha! I'm sorry to hear you are a fellow sufferer!
OK, so I would not know what to call it, but it is apparent that i suffer from the OPPOSITE of HSD. Consciously or not, I inevitably clean up and/or organize all clutter that appears on any available horizontal surface.
As far as mental illnesses go, I think I might prefer yours. It seems like it might be polar opposite expressions of the same basic general disorder. Hmmm. Like a ying yang kind of thing or something - not that I know anything about that stuff.
Interestingly enough, alcohol and cannabis seem to help with this side of that disfunction as well. :)
Ah, so sorry to hear that you suffer C.F.S. (Clean Freak Syndrome).
I wish you the best on your road to recovery...
A place for everything, and everything in its place.
On the plus side, I have learned well, over the years, to aggressively throw unnecessary baggage away. It's a hard skill to master, but it sure helps keep your soul from becoming bogged down.
So, now you're quoting my dear departed Grandmother? :O
A good reminder... If only I had listened to her more faithfully when she told me that!
I have that... Only I call it Chaotic Organization Ability. Where others see random clutter, I see a well organized pattern.
Sounds like a healthier variation on the problem, IMHO... :D
@creatr, you got me at the very first instant. I must commend your sense of humor. But in the end I understood you were fine and I'm glad about that.
About table clutter, it happens to me. I have even extended this to the top of my refrigerator. I just can't help it.
Yes, it is beyond the control of our voluntary intentions. I wish you the best, and thank you for sharing.