Lessons From Somewhere: October 2016

One afternoon last week, I suddenly felt very panicked. The trigger? A voicemail from a blocked number on my phone. I was in the middle of a meeting and couldn’t let it go. Who could it be? So I racked my brain for the worst possible scenario.

I’d imagined it was the fire department informing me that I’d left my curling iron plugged in all day. There had been a fire. My apartment was destroyed along with my sweet cat Harlow (which is a really horrible thought!). It was cryptic, certainly, but it’s exactly where my mind went.

After looking up the make and model of my curling iron, I learned it automatically shut off. Logically, if there had been a fire, I would have heard before 4:30p. There truly was no need to panic.

But still, I couldn’t let it go.

I outlined my options. I could go home and check things out; however, I was supposed to go see a show after work. There was no way I’d make it home and back to the venue in time. I ended up texting my neighbor to see if anything looked out of the ordinary. This way I’d know if I needed to come home or not.

I also called my parents. My mom (very patiently) calmed me down. She also reminded that while I think I’m the only one who struggles with anxiety, I’m not.

Something about this registered deeply for me. I didn’t realize until then how isolated I felt in my plight with anxiety. When we stop and think about it though, we’ve all experienced some hard emotion before, whether that be anxiety or fear; confusion or anger; sadness or stress; grief or shame.

I like the idea of thinking this way, that we all know what it’s like to be unsettled. Maybe we’re not ever alone in the trying times because we can always find someone else who’s been there before. Isn’t that an empowering thought.

I ended up going to that show. It was definitely the right choice, because when I got home, I discovered that my curling iron had not been left plugged in. In fact, it was stored away on a shelf safe and sound.

 

 

 

 

 

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