The Walk - I Finally Found the Root Cause (It Wasn’t What I Thought)

This week, I finally found the source of the fruit flies in my house. Not in the compost bin. Not in the trash. But in a forgotten box in the pantry—above eye level—where a collection of rotting onions had turned into a buzzing fruit fly festival.

It was gross. But also kind of poetic.

Because I realized: those annoying flies were just symptoms. The real problem was hidden, out of sight, slowly decomposing. And that's exactly how I've been feeling lately—mentally flustered, physically drained, and emotionally stretched.

Turns out, my life has a few metaphorical onions too.

I’ve been pushing through fatigue, ignoring signs of overwhelm, blaming my screen time or workload—but the deeper issue? Likely a combination of ADHD, burnout, and my tendency to go full throttle until I crash.

Here's what helped me start untangling it:

• Ask questions instead of assigning blame. My new physician doesn't rush to prescribe—she listens, asks, investigates. I’m trying to do the same with myself.

• Track the symptoms. A flushed face, skipped meals, screen binging—these aren’t flaws, they’re clues.

• Find the calming trifecta:

  • Nature (my daily walks in the woods)

  • Technology boundaries (with a little help from the ScreenZen app)

  • Creativity (drawing, especially during Inktober, brings me back to earth)

Most importantly, I’m learning that procrastination and distraction aren’t moral failings—they’re signals. If I want to clear the fruit flies from my brain, I’ve got to deal with the onions first.