On Friday night I went out with my friend Jeremy (still such a good guy/great friend/wonderful human being). Jeremy was my prom date long, long ago. We went home early Friday night, much like we did from prom, not because one of us was grounded this time, but because 11pm and 2 beers is the magic combination for sleepytime for your friend Erin. While we were still there, however, we began a conversation about the neighborhoods we live in. Jeremy loves his house and likes his neighborhood, but is unsure whether it is as safe a neighborhood as he would like for his wife/kids. I live in a part of Evanston that really feels like a small town. I told him that one of the things I like best about where I live is that I can go for a run/walk at 6:30am and not really feel worried about my safety.
This morning, however, I realized that while I feel safe, I continue to concoct escape plans. You know what I'm saying, the plan for just-in-case. Most of my girlfriends have such escape plans (right, ladies?) I'm guessing the guys do to. For instance, I have an escape plan for if a robber breaks into my apartment; one for if I'm ever carjacked; one for every hotel room I've stayed in alone; bad dates, fires, tornados; feeling like I might vomit, faint or go blind on the "el". I realize the unlikelyhood of these events, but these are sometimes the things I think about when I'm alone in a place. One of the secrets to my own anxiety management is to answer the "what if" questions that trigger most of my anxiety. "What ifs" will drive you mad. Answering the "what ifs" gives you something to do.
So back to this morning...I'd stopped by the market on my way home from my morning walk to pick up an avocado so that I could make this for lunch today. (I would share a photo of my own, but my camera is broken! boo.)
On my way home I wondered what I would do if someone jumped out from behind that big tree up ahead and tried to grab me??!? I decided that I could swing the bag that carried my avocado and hit that awful person in the head, stunning them just enough to give me time to start running and yelling.
And then I wondered...would someone still eat an avocado they had just used as a weapon? I weighed this question carefully and decided, that yes, yes I would still eat that avocado because it was my "avocado of triumph!"
That's actually what i thought. My brain is super awesome in the morning. And my escape plans? Foolproof. And that salad? Totally tasty.
