I was traveling and having a wonderful trip when suddenly, I heard it. The loudest, most sudden intrusion invaded my consciousness. The unspeakable, that which shall not be named. The wildest and unfathomable chaos filled my senses.
A baby cried somewhere far in the back of the plane. I thought I would be able to hold myself together until I heard myself screaming.
I was mortified to be an adult man, screaming, and I was trapped 30,000 feet in the sky. You may imagine yourself screaming uncontrollably with no escape and for seemingly no reason. This can be my reality in the blink of an eye -- or in this case, in the cry of a baby.
I am over-empathetic. I simply cannot take the hysterics of others without creating hysterics of my own. In those moments, I feel completely unlovable. I am aware of my disturbance and of how I must appear. It terrifies me, and you know how helpful fear can be...so the problem is perpetuated.
To make what seemed like a long story, short... I survived. No one got upset with me. With all the trauma of the ordeal, I am stronger and less afraid, having survived the hardship.
Please don't pity me; just understand. That's why I wrote this: To rally some understanding for people like me who struggle with things you can't see.
Gotta go catch a plane....
