The ADHD Chronicles: A Sunday Mass Memory and Some (1980)

(Interior of Ascension of Our Lord Parish Church - Greater Lagro, Novaliches, Quezon City, photo from Fr. Raul Beni Barcela, from the church's Facebook page's post, July 11, 2023)

Now that I'm a father of more than 17 years, the more I realize that I really was a different kid. For years now, occasionally during Sunday Mass, right before the offertory we tell any of our three children to volunteer and pick up a collection bag and go around. And any given Sunday's chosen one does it promptly and properly.

When I was five, for the first (and last!) time, my mother asked me to do the same at the Ascension of Our Lord Parish Church in Greater Lagro, Quezon City. So I picked up a collection bag, but I just stood near her—paralyzed. I just kept mumbling to her repeatedly, "Which aisle should I go first?" She replied and, I'm sure, gave me directions. But I didn't, or couldn't, follow. And soon the offertory song was over and I just returned the collection bag empty. (And just now, I'm thinking, if there were five collection bags in all in that church, then they must've lost approximately 20% of their Sunday Mass income because of me.)

Also at that age, I moved the slowest in kindergarten: always the last to return my empty saucer at the end of (or after!) recess, the last to unpack and repack my bag or plastic envelope, etc.

I still remember the day we visited the Infirmary for our very first annual physical checkup in UPIS, and when we were through, I was the last to climb aboard the bus because I stayed overtime at the last clinic struggling to tie my shoes. (I finally figured out how to tie my shoes properly in . . . first year high school!)

When we returned to our classroom, during dismissal, our teacher announced that she would distribute giveaways. So we all gathered excitedly around her desk. Unfortunately, she followed up with a condition: "Only for the kids who move fast."

Well, I wasn't that slow not to realize that I was excluded from the final blessing. So right there and then I walked out of the classroom—quickly, uncharacteristically.

+ + +

(And you can check out one of my latest published poems here!)