Yes, this is one of those nasty self portraits and yes I know it looks like I'm sticking out my tongue at something but actually it's supposed to look like I'm screaming at the top of my lungs! Why, you ask? I thought you'ld never ask! Because screaming, apparently, is my first reaction to shock! This is not news to me but for some reason my husband seemed surprised by an outburst such as this to something rather trivial to his way of thinking. We were out of town and stopped at a Starbucks before returning home. On our way out of the parking lot we v-e-r-y slowly inched our way over an exaggerated speed bump which caused our car to bottom out. The second I heard the crashing noise my mouth opened and I heard screaming. Extremely LOUD screaming! Then I realized it was my mouth that was screaming. I didn't WANT to scream. I just did! After the noise died down and my husband stopped sticking his finger in his ear to deaden the noise the conversation progressed somewhat like this:"Why did you scream?"
"I don't know, it just happened!"
"It was just a speed bump. Why would you scream about that?"
"I'm a girl!"
"I can't believe that at your age you would still scream like a scared child." (or something to that effect)
"It was my first reaction. I couldn't help it. Can you control all your first reactions?" (it never crossed my mind at the time but I should have asked him if he could from this day forward control his habit of screaming without any warning whenever he sneezes! I only thought of that right this very minute! That would have been the perfect retort!)
That's when the laughing set in. I'm not sure who started it but we could hardly stop ourselves. Suddenly it just seemed like the craziest conversation in the world and the craziest reaction at my age, apparently!
It got me thinking though. I am in the middle of a 40 day journey to change some of my habits and I wonder whether it is possible to change an immediate reaction. Is it possible to change something that just hits you so suddenly that you don't even have time to think about it before you do it? I would definitely rather not scream when something happens unexpectedly but I also realize that it is my first reaction. This summer I was cleaning my patio doors when a bird flew at me at about waist height. What did I do? I screamed! I have screamed when my husband walked into the kitchen when I didn't expect him and I remember a dream about a burgler in our house who was about to hit me when my alarm sounded. You're right! I screamed! I could write a book about screaming. He is right though. At my age, it's getting a tad embarrassing when I'm out walking with my friends and a cyclist rings his bell to let us know he is approaching and I scream! How can I get myself not to do that, I wonder? Any similar experiences out there? Ideas? Help! I'm a screamer and I can't stop!!
3 comments:
LOL!!!!! That was so funny! That poor cyclist...I'm amazed he stayed on his bike! Reading your blog reminded me of sitting on the wharf in Halifax eating lunch and you screaming everytime the birds would come and try to steal our french fries...or the time the oven caught fire and you ran away screaming, "Peter! Peter! The oven is on fire!" HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! For purely selfish reasons, I think you should keep the screaming...it keeps me laughing for days and sometimes years after! John says that he knows a guy who farts everytime he gets startled...so John's question to you is, which would you rather have happen? tee hee hee hee hee!!
Maybe I should be asking John "Which do YOU prefer I do?"
Ah, yes, I forgot about the oven fire! There are so many more to forget! ..... undoubtedly, a life time commitment for me!
my favorite was in the 3D movie of The Birds in Florida and Mom screaming and throwing down her glasses like they were possessed!
My immediate reaction to being startled is very similar. Not always a scream but usually close to a yelp at least. Drives Mark crazy!
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