'Monkey Mind'

I have been slowly progressing my way through a book by Elizabeth Gilbert, called "Eat, Pray, Love". Slowly because I have three kids and am not home all the time anymore. . . at any rate I was reading it today and found this amazing analogy that helped to open my eyes to some of the things that Noah may be experiencing with his ADHD/Aspergers diagnosis. She summed it up as having a 'monkey mind' and I quote:

. . . Buddhist call the "monkey mind" - the thoughts that swing from limb to
limb, stopping only to scratch themselves, spit and howl. From the distant
past to the unknowable future, my mind swings wildly through time, touching on
dozens of ideas a minute, unharnessed and undisciplined. This in itself is
not necessarily a problem; the problem is the emotional attachment that goes
along with the thinking. Happy thoughts make me happy, but - whoop! - how
quickly I swing again into obsessive worry, blowing the mood. . . . the other
problem with all this swinging through the vines of thought is that you are
never where you are. You are always digging in the past or poking at the
future, but rarely do you rest in this moment.

Wow!
I could have said it better myself!! We all experience 'monkey mind' at times in our life but the thoughts that pour from Noah's mouth only remind me of his constant swinging and shifting at his own pace. The only way for him to find a presence is to
find a way to 'be here now' and focus on the current presence. But, how, how do we accomplish this with a five, almost six year old that all he has known is the swinging of thoughts and emotions that flow from him and in the world around him? I am against medication because it is from the thoughts and active mind he finds some of his most creative and ingenious abilities. How do I balance his ability to
think creatively without medication turning him into a zombie so that he can also be socially accepted more? What is better? What is more important? The struggle for balance continues . . .