Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Six Weird Things

See the little stick man?

1. All my elementary school report cards mention that I do not "participate" with my classmates. I think that's code for "does not play well with others". By junior high I had stopped talking in class. Call on me and expect total silence for as long as necessary. I thought some of my teachers called on me just to rest during class.

2. In college I would wake up and not know if it was night or day. Or what day it was. And I never knew what time it was or what classes I had or my locker combination. On bad days, I relive those anxiety attacks and try to remember my locker combination.

3. Before I went away to college, I thought the only vegetables in the world were green beans, canned peas, carrots and corn. That's all my mother ever served. My husband was only served canned peas and canned corn at home.

4. I can't wear anything around my neck. No turtleneck sweaters or necklaces. Makes me think I'm choking. Someone said I must have been strangled in a former life.

5. I am deathly afraid of drowning. In fact, I am usually quite crazy if my feet can't touch the bottom. Panic. And ocean water totally freaks me out. Our friends had this huge ocean going boat and invited us on it several times. Stepping off the dock and climbing up the side of the boat was the bravest thing I've done. I would be limp with relief when it was over.

6. Heights terrify me but I HAVE to look over the edge. And if I watch someone jump from a building--like in a movie--my stomach goes up and then down just like I jumped too and I have to cover my mouth to keep from screaming. Anyone with me just looks at me like I'm whacked.

7. I know people's names and things about them and then it turns out I've never met them before.

2 comments:

kathy said...

did you plant this little stick man? And I envy you that you don't feel like you have to fill in the silence with words...the water thing I don't envy, though.! I'll have to think on my weird things.

Shelina said...

I didn't play well with others too. Also wondering if you made the stick man.
I wonder about te knowing people thing - do you think it is that they just don't remember you, or that you have some kind of esp? Me, I can see someone day after day, and if I see them in a different circumstance, I wouldn't recognize them. I am just awful with recognition - I didn't even recognize my own daughter once - saw her friend and asked her if she had seen DD, and she was standing right next to the friend!