anxiety

Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave

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I hate spiders. No, let me get that right. I loathe spiders. I might even have arachnophobia, to tell the truth. And I found that out the hard way just a week ago. Driving to work one dark morning the week before spring break, I was fighting the urge to curse the darkness. I mean, … Read more

Pretend They Aren’t There

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I’m a worrier. Always have been. After years of practice, I’ve elevated it to an art. I shape my worries the way a woodworker shapes the spindles of a chair. I buff and polish them, smooth as river teeth. There are the little worries, the daily stresses we all deal with that niggle at that little … Read more

The Arachmobile

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I gave that spider a week to die or move out of my car. My husband, Brett, vowed there’d been no spider sightings the week he drove the Jeep, so after a thorough inspection Monday morning, I eased carefully into the driver seat and took my chances. At every stoplight, I glanced around, double-checking for new … Read more

So Much Nature

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One of those last, blissful mornings of summer, I went for a walk with my 15-year-old son, the same walk I took most every summer morning. But this walk was different: instead of turning over to-do lists and worries in my mind as I walked, I wanted to be focused on the here and now. My son would … Read more