Momo's Palace: What My Betta Fish Taught Me About Being Ready

Welcome to King Pathways, ADHD Life in Real Time. I'm Teneka King, ADHD life coach and professional organizer. Here we talk about the wins, the mess, and the moments of clarity in between.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to set up a fish tank, a 10-gallon palace for my betta. Usually, people put them in tiny tanks, but I wanted Momo to have plenty of room to explore and relax. I had everything planned out. I bought the life plants, cleaned the gravel, built a bridge out of slate rock, and added moss on top.

I was really excited. I wanted to buy fish because I knew it would help me relax. And research agrees that watching fish can reduce anxiety, improve mood, and help people feel more calm, which is exactly what I needed.

But then came the water testing.

For two, maybe even three weeks. I tested the water over and over, and over again. The kit had colors I was supposed to match, but the water never seemed ready. It was so frustrating and I kept thinking, why is this taking so long?

Then finally, after weeks of this, I actually sat down and read the instructions. And that's when I realized I had been testing the water the wrong way the entire time.

Which means the water had probably been ready for who knows how long - and I was waiting, stressing, and retesting for no reason.

Once I figured it out, I finally added my betta Momo, short for Moses, into his palace, and that felt so good.

And honestly, he has already proven exactly why I wanted him in the first place. As I was taking way too many online organizing classes for way too many hours, Momo kept me firmly planted on my futon.

Whenever my brain got tired, or the content felt overwhelming, I'll glance over at him swimming around. Watching him helped me focus and stay present. It made those long classes so much easier. He kept me company the entire time.

I'm sharing the story to encourage you to think about something. Where in your life are you testing and retesting..., doubting yourself..., waiting for everything to be perfect...., when maybe just maybe you are ready already.

 Thanks for listening to King Pathways, A DHD Life in real time. I hope today's reflection brought more clarity, calm, and confidence to your day. For tools and resources, visit KingPathways.com. Until next time, take care and keep finding what fits your brain.