What makes you nervous?

Let me preface this by saying—I’m not exactly the skittish type. I’ve weathered storms, survived family holidays, raised boys into men, been in the travel industry and customer service (which might be redundant), and once watched someone microwave fish in an office breakroom without throwing hands. So no, I don’t spook easily.

But nervous? Oh, I’ve got my moments.

First off, I get nervous when someone says, “We need to talk.”

Ma’am. Sir. Unless this “talk” comes with wine, snacks, and a contract saying I won’t be emotionally destroyed by the end of it… no we don’t.

And don’t even get me started on group texts where the bubbles start and stop like someone’s typing a confession, then deletes it. What are you about to say? What did you decide not to say? What are you hiding? I will spiral.

Also—when I’ve got a full week of travel plans perfectly laid out, and the client sends me a “quick question.” That’s never a quick question. That’s code for “I’ve completely gone rogue and booked something on Expedia and now I need you to fix it.”

But you know what really makes me nervous? Silence. Not the peaceful kind—no, I love quiet when it’s earned. I’m talking about the silence of loneliness.

I also get twitchy in Hobby Lobby between August and December. One second it’s back-to-school, and before you can say “pumpkin spice,” there’s a 7-foot glitter Jesus next to a tree that costs more than my first car. It’s a sensory overload and a budgetary ambush all rolled into one.

And finally, nothing sends me into a full-blown internal panic quite like the words, “We’ll figure it out when we get there.”

No. No, we will not. I am the figure-it-out-before-you-get-there person. I am the spreadsheet. I am the Google doc. I am the itinerary in human form. If you wanna wing it, please do so on another flight.

So yeah, I’m not exactly walking around riddled with anxiety, but if you want to see me sweat—send me a vague calendar invite, take me somewhere without snacks, or suggest we just “play it by ear.”

I will be nervous. And possibly homicidal.

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